A Better Understanding
by HatsOff
Summary: The events of Evangelion if communication between Gendo and Shinji wasn't so... lacking. Shinji is not so depressed, changing the course of his life as he gains a better understanding of human emotions. How will this affect his relationship with the rest of the cast of Evangelion? Eventual Asuka and Shinji story.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"It's time. The day that we've all worked so hard for has finally arrived. We will finally learn if humanity is capable of salvation, capable of forging a better future." Said Yui Ikari as she looked up at a large purple horned mech held in place by many cables and restraints. Next to her stood her husband, Gendo Ikari, a bearded man wearing sunglasses with a serious look on his face.

"Yes. The future shall be forged by man, the tool for the job standing before us at this very moment." He looked to his wife and gave her a small smile before feeling a tug on his pants. He looked down and saw his young four year old son, Shinji Ikari pulling at his pant leg.

"Daddy, what's that thing?" asked the young curious child.

Gendo smiled at the young boy, bent down and picked him up so that he could get a better look at the Evangelion. "That is Eva number 1 Shinji, a big robot mommy and daddy made to protect you and everybody else from danger, because we love you so much." Said Gendo to his child.

"Protect me? From what daddy?" asked young Shinji.

Yui looked at her son and gave him a small kiss on the cheek and said, "We'll tell you when you're older Shinji. I think you're a little too young to know everything yet."

Gendo smiled at his son, then glanced at a nearby clock, a solemn look filled his eyes.

"It's almost time. Are you sure you want to do this? I'd feel much safer taking your place instead, Yui." Said Gendo with a worried tone in his voice.

Yui smiled and let out a soft chuckle before holding her hand out and brushing her husband's cheek with her palm softly, giving him a brief kiss.

"I'm ready to give our son, and everyone else, the possible chance of a future Gendo."

"But you know the consequences right? Is this really best for Shinji?" whispered Gendo so his young son wouldn't hear the fearful that now filled his voice.

A sad look appeared on Yui's face. She looked away from Gendo without replying and took little Shinji from his arms. The little boy looked at his mother happily and hugged her affectionately. Yui let him embrace her for a moment before making him look at her. She looked back with a serious, yet loving gaze.

"Shinji, my love, you know mommy does everything for you, because she loves you very much and she will always do what is best for you right?" she asked her young son.

Shinji smiled and closed his eyes, hugging his mother once more. "Yes mommy. You and daddy will always protect me!"

Yui shed a small tear at her son's innocent, loving response, which was missed by the boy who was still hugging his mother. This was, however, not missed by her husband, who also had a small tear leave his eye, knowing the impending despair that loomed in the nearby future for the most precious thing in the universe to him.

Gendo mouthed to his wife, "Please, don't do this."

Yui smiled and walked over to Gendo. She kissed him, then handed their son over to him. "It'll all work out in the end. I trust you Gendo." With that said, Yui turned away from her family and began to walk down the hallway to the locker room to retrieve her test plug suit. As she reached the door, she turned back and said to Gendo, "Take care of Shinji."

A look of fear filled Gendo's face at her words as his wife walked into the locker room. He looked to his son who also watched his mother leave. Gendo felt awful as fear and loss filled him, even before the tragedy that he knew would surely happen didn't even occur yet.

1 hour later

Yui Ikari had to admit that the plug suits did have a sort of sexual appeal to them. Her suit was skin tight, white in color, and complimented her assets in a way that made every male in the room stare at her even more intensely than normal. She looked across the large room into the observation booth, where her husband, son, and teacher, Kozo Fuyutsuki, as well as several other scientists all watched as she prepared to open the entry plug to Unit 01. She also spotted another scientist, one she didn't care too much for, standing next to her husband, looking at him with what appeared to be lust in her eyes. She knew that Naoko Akagi was attracted to her husband, but over the years she had worked at Gehirn she had established to everyone that Gendo was hers, much more fiercely before Shinji had been born. Naoko's attraction had been evident to Yui from day 1, and she had had several unpleasant encounters with her in the past.

Naoko fixed her gaze away from Gendo and looked down at Yui, a look of indifference on her face, as well as a small look of dislike mixed in.

"Gendo, if nothing else, please stay away from the Akagi's." Yui thought to herself. She then looked at Shinji, who was waving at his mother with one hand, the other pressed up against the glass, a large smile on his face. Yui gave a loving smile to Shinji, then kissed her hand and blew the kiss to him.

She looked away from the booth and watched as Eva 01's entry plug burst from the back of its neck and the door opened. She placed one foot inside and looked back at Gendo one last time, a sad look in her eyes before stepping into the plug, the door closing behind her.

15 minutes later

Everyone on the bridge was currently frantically running around, trying to apply damage control to the botched activation of Unit 01. Naoko Akagi was bellowing out orders to her subordinates to bring up all visual monitors of inside the plug as well aborting the activation. Fuyutsuki was ordering emergency measures to take place in case the pilot was salvageable.

Gendo stood in front of the monitors in the observation booth as Unit 01 writhed violently in the room below him.

"It's just as we feared. Her soul was a necessary component after all."

Young Shinji was standing in front of his father, looking down at the giant purple machine housing his mother, sobbing uncontrollably. "Mommy! What's happening! Mommy! MOMMY!"

Naoko turned away from the monitors and looked at the sobbing boy, a look of disgust at what he represented on her face.

"Somebody, get that child out of here!" she yelled out loud.

Gendo stood motionless as a security guard past by him and grabbed his son, leading him out of the room.

"Mommy, I'm scared!" Shinji looked at his father as he fought the large man dragging him away. "Daddy, help me! Please! Daddy! Don't let them take me away! Daddy, help me!"

Shinji's pleas fell on deaf ears as the shocked father did nothing as he watched the love of his life leave him and their child.

"We have visual! Bring it onscreen now!" Naoko ordered. The various monitors that aligned the walls all flickered before they showed the inside of Unit 01. The orange LCL bubbled and swished as the machine writhed about. Inside sat Yui Ikari, a pained look on her beautiful features. Gendo rushed over to the biggest screen and pressed his hands up against it so violently that the screen cracked.

"Yui!" Gendo gasped in fear.

Yui opened her eyes and looked forward at Gendo. Slowly, she reached her hand out toward him, shaking as it moved. Gendo watched in horror as Yui Ikari slowly dissolved away, leaving nothing but the plug suit she wore behind.

Several hours later

Loud sobs filled the hallways of Gehirn as young Shinji Ikari cried his eyes out in fear in sadness.

"I want my mommy! Where is my mommy?!"

The guard that had escorted him away from his parents looked at him with pity, but said nothing.

"Mommy where are you?" cried the little boy.

Gendo Ikari walked down the hall with Fuyutsuki following behind him. He had a look of loss and hopelessness on his face. He walked over to his son and stopped and stood over him.

Shinji quieted down and said between sniffles, "Daddy, what happened? Where's Mommy? Why do you look so sad? Is Mommy okay? Did that thing do something to Mommy?"

Gendo slowly knelt down to his son's level and grabbed his shoulders tightly, sadness filling his eyes that he fixed on Shinji.

"Shinji, I love you very much. But I'm sorry. Mommy is gone, and she is not coming back. There was an accident, and now mommy is gone."

Extreme grief formed on Shinji's face. He burst into tears and cried out louder, which was quickly stifled as Gendo hugged him into his shoulder.

After a few minutes, Gendo pulled Shinji away and looked at him again.

"Shinji, listen to me. Mommy was everything to me. But you mean even more than her to me. But… I'm afraid. Daddy is so very afraid. Without Mommy, I don't think I can give you everything you truly deserve. I'm not good enough to give you the life you deserve. I'm just so frightened Shinji."

"What do you mean Daddy?" asked the heartbroken little boy.

"I want you to forgive me, but I don't see how you can." Said Gendo, more to himself than to his son. "Shinji, Daddy is sending you away to be raised by a teacher. I think that you'll like being there more than spending your life with me. But I will still see you, talk to you, and most importantly love you. I will always love you Shinji."

"I love you too daddy." Sniffed the little boy.

Gendo broke away from Shinji and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small object and handed it to Shinji.

"Take this with you, Shinji. Keep it close to you, and let it remind you how much you really mean to Mommy and Daddy.

Shinji looked at the object in his small hands. It was a small photograph of him, being held in the arms of his mother, along with his father standing next to them. All 3 were smiling, with Shinji grasped on a small strand of his mother's hair.

Gendo stood up and spoke to Fuyutsuki. "Take him to meet Hideaki. I'll speak to you afterwards."

"Of course." Said Fuyutsuki. He walked towards Shinji and took his little hand in his. "Come with me. I'll show you your new teacher." He said gently.

Shinji just sniffled and followed Fuyutsuki. As he was led away, he turned around at looked at the shrinking form of his father.

"Goodbye Shinji." Said Gendo.

The elevator doors opened and Fuyutsuki lead Shinji inside.

"Goodbye… Daddy." Said the little boy as the doors closed in front of him.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

10 years later

It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Japan. 14 year old Shinji Ikari was currently riding his bike home from his martial arts class, his uniform in his backpack, tired after a long day of practice. Shinji turned the corner and drove his bike into his guardian Hideaki's driveway, stopping and parking the bike on the side of the garage. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and dismounted from the bike and walked toward the front door. Shinji reached his hand out for the doorknob when a loud honk startled him and made him turn around to look for the source of the disturbance.

Behind him was a shiny black convertible with the roof folded down, a girl sitting in the driver's seat smiling at him. The girl was his next door neighbor, Harumi Aomori, a 16 year old girl with long black hair and shining brown eyes.

"Hey Shin-Chan! Want to come with me for a ride and try out my new car? You'll be the first I show it to!" said Harumi in a flirting tone as she gave Shinji a sultry gaze.

Shinji blushed, rubbed the back of his head and replied, "Um, I would love to, Harumi, I really would. You look amazing and I very much want to see it, but I can't. Hideaki said that we have something important to discuss today." Shinji walked over to the car, leaned up against the door and looked at Harumi. "Do you think we could reschedule this test drive?" he asked her.

"Oh, you know I always have time for my little Shin-Chan" said Harumi as she patted him on the head.

"Perfect. I'm gonna head inside and see what Hideaki wants. I'll see you later Harumi."

Harumi smiled and winked at him. "I look forward to it." With that said, Harumi started the engine and drove away. Shinji watched her drive away before walking towards his home.

In the past 10 years, Shinji had been raised by his teacher Hideaki, where he was homeschooled. Hideaki taught Shinji many things, including the language of German for the past 2 years. Hideaki also felt that Shinji needed a physical outlet and had convinced him to sign up for martial arts. Shinji was now 2 years into his class and had developed a good friendship with his sensei and fellow students.

What Shinji considered the most important thing to him was his relationship with his father. While Gendo did not raise him, Shinji still spoke to him over the phone and wrote to him often, his father usually writing back. Gendo would not discuss his occupation with Shinji, explaining that his job was top secret and that he would someday find out when the time came. What made Shinji sad was that he hadn't actually seen his father face to face for 7 months, their last meeting being a trip to his mother's "grave." Gendo had been kind enough to Shinji and told him that this was not his mother's true resting place, but did not tell him the reason why, again explaining that he would find out when it was time.

Nevertheless, Shinji did not hate his father. He loved him, but always regretted that he could not have spent his childhood with him, and he always wondered why his father had not raised him himself. Shinji could vaguely recall an answer to this question, a memory from long ago that wasn't entirely there, a memory that he would sometimes re-experience in his dreams.

When Shinji would speak or write to Gendo, he would always tell him of his most recent accomplishments, such as winning a race in his gym class or earning a 100% on a difficult test he had recently taken. The tone of voice that Gendo would speak back to him or the words he would write were ones of praise, often stating that he was proud of his son and that he wished he could have seen it himself and take the credit for his son's success. Unfortunately Gendo would usually settle with the knowledge that he had placed his son in good hands and it made him feel some comfort that he had done the right thing and given his son to someone better fit to be his father. At least that what he told himself at night sometimes to ease his guilt.

The praise from his father and the teachings of Hideaki had made Shinji into an intelligent, confident yet shy young man. This confidence had not gone unnoticed by his peers either. Even though Shinji had not attended public school, he still managed to make friends with some of the kids there. The guys had found him to be funny and enjoyable person to be around, often inviting him to school sporting events or hanging out with him after school whenever Hideaki wasn't holding him at home for extra lessons.

His confidence had also made him rather popular with the girls as well. Every once in a while Shinji would walk to the grocery store to buy food for Hideaki or hanging out with his friends, and he would often pass by girls, who would giggle and wink at him as he passed, sometimes eliciting a flirtatious "Hey Shinji!" out of one or two of them. It was also not uncommon for Shinji to find a love letter in his mailbox from time to time. His neighbor Harumi would often flirt with him and call him "the cutest boy that I know." Shinji was well aware of the opportunity that was presented to him, but he was always too shy to ask any girl out, and had thus never had a girlfriend before.

Shinji opened the door and stepped into his guardian's home, setting his backpack on the ground next to the door. "I'm home!" he shouted into the house.

"Oh, you're finally back. I've been waiting to start dinner. So how did class go today?" asked Hideaki, who was sitting on the couch watching a comedy on the TV.

"Well we learned some advanced defense techniques, and quite frankly, I'm beat as hell today." Shinji replied.

"Well I think you should probably jump in the shower while I make supper. We have something very important to talk about afterwards." said Hideaki.

"What? You can't stand me right now? Do I offend?" joked Shinji.

"No, I'm saying that you should freshen up before you drive all the flies away." Hideaki joked back.

"Oh ha ha. Quit loafing on the couch and get cooking. I won't take that long." said Shinji.

"I'm not so sure about that after last time. The water almost froze solid when it was my turn. That was kind of a dick move Shinji." said Hideaki.

"It was one time! The water just took longer than normal to heat up to my standards." said Shinji.

"Yeah, I suppose it does take a while to heat up to 195.65 degrees, or is that too low for your standards?" asked Hideaki who stood up and walked to the kitchen.

Not having a response in mind, Shinji settled with, "Well at least I'm a better cook than you."

Hideaki chuckled. "I think we both know who won this battle. Now hurry and clean up."

After his shower and meal, Shinji proceeded to clean the table and dishes, before returning to the table where his guardian was still sitting.

"So what is it we need to talk about?" asked Shinji.

Hideaki sighed. "This has been a long time coming Shinji. And it's not me that you're speaking to today." Hideaki reached under his seat, pulled out a laptop and opened it before handing it to Shinji. "Your father wishes to speak with you Shinji."

"My father?" said the confused boy as a chat window suddenly opened up on the screen. In the window appeared Gendo's face, his eyes covered by orange tinted glasses, white gloved hands clasped together resting on the desk in front of him. He looked at his son for a moment before he smiled and spoke.

"Hello Shinji. It's been a while since we've seen each other."

Shinji smiled and replied in a calm voice. "Hi dad."

"I'm so happy to speak to you, but I wish that it was under better circumstances."

"What do you mean dad?" asked Shinji.

A sad looked filled the older man's face before he replied. "Son, it's time for you to learn the truth about your mother, and about your future. A dangerous time is coming and I want you to be as ready as possible for when the time comes."

A serious look appeared on Shinji's face. "What are you talking about?"

Gendo sighed. "This isn't easy to explain. Do you remember the last time you saw your mother?"

"Vaguely. I was really little at the time so I barely remember anything."

"Shinji, do you remember the thing we showed you before the accident at all? The large purple thing in the hangar?"

Shinji had remembered it rather well. He would often see it in his nightmares. "Yes. That thing took my mother away, didn't it?"

Gendo frowned sadly. "Yes. That thing is called an Evangelion. It is a project your mother, I, and many other people have worked on ever since you were born. Shinji, do you remember a time in your life when the Earth's oceans were anything but the color red?"

"No. They've always been that way haven't they?"

"No. Before you were born, a disaster occurred that devastated the planet. You know this disaster as second impact. But you don't know the true story behind it."

"Where are you going with this dad?" asked Shinji.

"I'll explain everything. I know this is a lot to take in, but please be patient with me." Gendo continued his explanation. "In truth, 14 years ago, just before you were born, mankind initiated an experiment on an advanced life form known as an angel. Now this is not an angel from the Christian bible, this is another thing altogether. The experiment yielded unexpected results that caused the 2nd impacted and the reawakening of the angel known as Adam. It was really Adam who killed all those people and devastated the planet."

"I see. But what does this have to do with me dad?" asked Shinji.

"After 2nd impact, your mother worked hard to find a way to protect mankind from the angels and secure a future for you. She loved you so much Shinji. It was her love that created Evangelion Unit 01. She volunteered to be the first test subject. She was so excited to see whether all her hard work was all worth it. Whether she could truly protect you from any evil."

Gendo spoke with a quiver in his voice as he recalled the painful memory. "Your mother was absorbed into Unit 01 as a result of the botched experiment. We were unable to recover her and we have since done extensive work and tireless hours have gone into ensuring that this doesn't happen again. This is where you come in Shinji."

"What do you mean dad?" asked the confused boy.

"Before I explain what I ask of you, I must ask a question myself. Do you understand the reason why I wasn't the one who raised you Shinji? Why I couldn't watch you grow up and teach you everything there is to know about life?" asked Gendo with sadness in his voice.

"Yes. I've said it before. I don't hate you father. You admitted to yourself that you were unable to raise me by yourself. You lost the most important person to you, the one you could rely on to be there with you and raise me with you. You sent me away to live with Hideaki because you were afraid that you couldn't give me the love I deserve. I'm not angry, because you didn't shut me out of your life completely. For the last 10 years I've spoken to you often, and you always replied back to me. You've been there for every birthday, you were there for me whenever I broke an arm or leg and spent time at the hospital, you and me have visited mom's grave every year, and while I know that isn't really mom's grave, it still makes me happy whenever I see it with you. You did your best, imagine what I'd be like instead if you had totally shut me out." Said Shinji with genuine love in his voice.

Gendo shed a single tear before wiping it away with a gloved hand. "I believe you are ready to hear what I have to ask, Shinji. I am very relieved that you've forgiven the biggest mistake of my life, and it pains me to ask this of you, but it must be done. Shinji, we have very good reason to believe that soon, the angels will return. Our only defense against them is the Evangelions. The problem with them though is the fact that they only function with someone born after 2nd impact. Shinji, I am asking you to please come to NERV headquarters and train for combat in the Evangelion against the angels. It has been determined that you are the best possible match for Unit 01, and I want you to be ready to fight the angels when they return. Do you think you can do this Shinji?"

"You want me, a 14 year old boy, to get inside a giant machine and go into battle? Are you sure that's the best possible solution?" asked Shinji with disbelief.

"I'm asking because it is the only option, Shinji. If there were someone else, I would gladly use them instead of my son, but this is the only way. Please Shinji. I know I wasn't there for you when you needed me, and this isn't fair of me to ask you, but I really need you now."

"But where will I live? What about Hideaki?" asked Shinji.

"Hideaki has been ready for this since the day you met him. Don't blame him for leaving you in the dark; it was at my request that he do so. As for your living arrangements, that will be taken care of once you arrive."

"You want me to use the same machine that absorbed my mother? Are you sure that's a good idea father?"

"To be honest, that is my greatest fear. I have no way of knowing what will happen, but I as well as the world have run out of options. But we have improved the Evangelions since then, and everyone is certain that that incident will not be repeated. Do you accept, Shinji?"

"I… I think I do. If it's for the protection of mankind, it would be selfish of me to refuse if I'm indeed the last hope." Shinji paused and thought for a moment before a big, confident smile appeared on his face. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll do it. I'll come to NERV father!"

Gendo let out a huge sigh of relief. "I'm so happy Shinji. Now, you have one week to prepare for your departure. Say your farewells to your friends, but don't tell them the exact reason that you're leaving. The work that you are doing is classified as top secret. When you are ready, Hideaki will drop you off at a designated checkpoint where you'll be transported to NERV by our operations director, Misato Katsuragi. Misato has expressed great interest in meeting you and has sent you a picture of her in the mail that should be arriving with along with your mission briefing in a few days. I will see you soon my son."

"Goodbye dad."

With their conversation over, the chat window closed and Hideaki took the laptop from the boy and looked at him.

"I'm sad to see you go Shinji. Are you really sure this is what you want to do?" Hideaki asked.

Shinji smiled at his guardian. "Yeah. If it's to protect mankind, how can I say no?"

"I don't think that's the only reason, Shinji. I saw that smile during your talk. Want to tell me the other reason?"

Shinji smirked. "The other reason? To avenge my mother, and make her vision of a better future a reality. Those angels had better watch out."

"It makes me happy that you do this for yourself as well as for others. It shows that you truly accept your fate. It shows how mature you really are. I'm proud of you, Shinji." replied Hideaki.

Shinji spent the next few days preparing for his departure for Tokyo-3 and the beginning of his career as an Eva pilot. Unfortunately for him, his training would have to be postponed till after his first real battle. The angels had arrived much sooner than expected.

**To Be Continued**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Shinji stood in front of a pay phone, having been recently dropped off at the designated area as instructed by NERV. It had been a week since his conversation with his father and the farewells he had given to all his friends. They all expressed sadness at his departure, and when he was asked the reason why he was moving away, Shinji had given them the story that he and Hideaki had developed together, involving a court dispute that Hideaki would rather not talk about and his subsequent loss of guardianship over Shinji. After the news had gotten out that he was leaving, a few girls spoke to him and wished him good luck with whatever would happen. Two of them even gave him their numbers in case he "needed someone to talk to."

Harumi had taken the news rather well. The day after it was decided he would leave, Harumi was the first person Shinji broke the news too.

1 week ago

"Ooooooh boy. I hope she takes this well." said a nervous Shinji, who was currently preparing to say goodbye to one of his closest friends. Shinji reached his hand out and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the door opened. Harumi stood in the doorway and as soon as she recognized who had knocked, a smile graced her lips.

"Hey Shin-Chan! Little early isn't it? I haven't even had time to shower yet." said Harumi playfully.

Shinji chuckled. "Well I apologize for interrupting."

"It's fine. What's the occasion for such an early visit anyway?" said asked curiously.

Shinji gave a deep sigh. "Harumi, there's something that I really need to tell you, and truthfully, I'm worried how you'll take it."

"What is it Shinji?" Outwardly Harumi sounded concerned, but inwardly she felt her excitement growing. "Is this it? Is he finally asking me out?! Oh Shinji, you have no idea how badly I've wanted to hear you say this to me for the longest time." she thought to herself.

Shinji however felt guilt begin to form in his stomach. "I'm about to lie to her, and it's likely the last time I'll speak to her for a long time. I wish I could just be honest to her." Shinji thought.

"Harumi, Hideaki and I spoke to each other last night, and he gave me some bad news." Shinji began. "Hideaki… has become involved in a dispute with the law, but wouldn't explain the details to me. As a result of the settlement, he has lost his guardianship of me. As of tomorrow I will no longer be living with him, and I'm moving away to live with my father." he told her.

The curious look Harumi had displayed turned to one of shock at this revelation. "You're leaving? Shinji, you're moving away? Why? What happened?"

Shinji walked up to her and gave her a hug. Shinji had never taken the time to notice, but Harumi was a couple inches taller than he was. "I'm gonna miss you, Harumi. You've been a good friend to me for so long. I'm sorry that we couldn't have spent more time together."

A single tear fell from Harumi's face as she hugged him back. "I'll miss you too Shinji." They broke apart and Harumi looked Shinji in the eyes and gave her a sad smile. "You know something, I've known you for so long, and of all things, I'm really going to miss your kindness most of all. Shinji, wherever you end up in life, please remember me. If nothing else, promise me that we'll see each other again." she said.

"I'll make sure to uphold that promise. We'll meet again someday Harumi. Goodbye."

Shinji turned away from his friend and walked back towards his house. Harumi watched him go the entire way.

"I know you'll keep that promise Shinji. I believe in you." Another tear left her eye. "We were so close. If only we had just a little longer, then maybe we could have…" Her thoughts broke off as she turned and walked back inside her house, her thoughts filled with her memories of her secret crush.

The present

"I wonder what's keeping her." Shinji looked at the photo in his hand. The photo contained a beautiful woman with long purple hair wearing a yellow tank top and blue short shorts. The pose she had taken gave Shinji a rather enjoyable view, and the large lipstick stain made him chuckle. "Well, if there's anything this photo tells me, she's not exactly the most modest person ever. I already like her."

Shinji sighed. "Dad's letter said that she'd be here about 10 minutes ago." Shinji said to himself. He looked at the nearby phone booth. "I suppose I should call and check." He picked up the receiver and put it to his ear and prepared to enter the number. Before his fingers could push the first button however, a voice spoke back to him.

"We're sorry. A nationwide state of emergency has been declared. All phones are currently temporarily offline. Please report to the nearest emergency shelter immediately." The voice was then replaced with a busy tone. Shinji looked at the phone in his hand. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" He replaced the receiver and resumed his patient wait for his escort.

A few moments later, a loud explosion was heard in the distance. Shinji looked in the direction of the noise. "What could that have been?" He gasped as another was heard, followed by another. A moment later, the ground beneath him began to shake.

"All planes are order to attack the target! Missile launch is now authorized! I want to see this damn thing put down as soon as possible!" a JSSDF general shouted into the phone.

"All nearby anti-aircraft weaponry are ordered to attack as well. We must spare no resource ad bring this thing down at all costs!" another general ordered.

Out on the battlefield, JSSDF planes and tanks were engaged in a furious battle. Their enemy was a large, black, humanoid figure with a bird like face and long arms with long bony spikes protruding out of the back of its arms. In the center of its chest rested a large red sphere that reflected the sunlight shone onto it.

The JSSDF munitions flew towards the giant, but no contact was ever established, as each explosive collided with a bright orange octahedral force that protected the giant. The missiles and artillery shells exploded, but no harm was caused to the creature. The giant slowly took a giant step, its foot coming down on top of a tank that was unlucky enough to be underneath it. A plane fired another missile at it. When the missile collided with the orange field, the missile suddenly traveled around the giant, before continuing its flight behind it, hitting another plane dead on, destroying it completely. The giant raised its hand in retaliation at its attacker. The bony spike in its arm began to glow a bright purple-white as it flew forward and shot out of the palm of its hand. The spike impaled the center of the plane, which quickly caught fire. The giant waved its hand toward its right. The impaled plane dislodged from the spike and flew into another nearby plane, destroying both upon collision.

Safe in the NERV geofront sat the group of JSSDF representatives, along with the various employees of NERV. Behind them sat NERV's Commander, Gendo Ikari, with his hands clasped together in front of his face, his elbows resting on his desk as he leaned forward. Behind him stood Vice Commander Fuyutsuki.

"This is a bad sign. Seele's plans are indeed right on time. I had such faith that we had more time." said Gendo quietly to Fuyutsuki.

"Yes, it's just as we feared. The angels have returned." Fuyutsuki replied.

Out in the city, the ground began to tremble.

"What is happening?" said Shinji in fear. He looked up to the sky and screamed as a large foot came down in front of him, landing on top of a nearby car causing it to explode. Shinji flew his hands up to protect his face and the explosion filled the air, followed by a loud screech. When Shinji opened his eyes he spotted a blue Renault Alpine stopped in front of the giant foot. The passenger door flew open and Shinji was greeted by his attractive escort, who smiled at him playfully and said, "I think it's best if you come with me, don't you agree."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Shinji replied as he bolted for the door. Once he jumped inside and slammed the door shut, Misato shifted into reverse, slammed on the accelerator and skillfully maneuvered away from the giant before shifting again and driving away at top speed.

NERV

The JSSDF general picked up the nearby phone and listened to the order barked at him from the other end. "I understand. We'll activate the contingency plan." he responded in a hushed voice.

"They are indeed powerful." said Fuyutsuki.

"Conventional weapons have no effect. The perfect being, untouched by the hands of man." Gendo mused. "Their only weakness is one of their own. It's a shame that so many must be lost in this pointless debacle."

"This is nothing to what Seele has in store. This is only the beginning" Fuyutsuki replied.

"Yes. The beginning of the end." said Gendo. On the screen in front of him, the giant displayed in the very center turned to its side, almost as if to stare at him as the fires all around it raged.

"Sorry about my tardiness. But hey, it looks like I got there just in the nick of time." said Misato.

"Your timing could use some improvement in my opinion." Shinji replied.

"Eh, you'll get used to it. You're not the first to complain."

Shinji just sighed. "Not exactly a good habit to keep." He looked out of the window towards the city. "So that's an angel I take it?"

"Yep, and it looks like it's up to you to stop it. Not exactly what you were expecting I take it."

"Yeah. My father neglected to mention the size of them. Although I should have seen it coming given the size of the thing I'm supposed to use against it."

"Your father spared no expense on our last line of defense. Not to mention the UN either." She looked at him as she relaxed with one hand on the wheel. "So, are you excited to see your father again Shinji?" she asked the boy.

Shinji smiled. "Yeah, I am. It's been a while since I've seen him. I'm looking forward to meeting him again."

Misato grinned. "Good." Inwardly, she thought to herself, "There's something we definitely don't have in common."

Shinji turned to look at her. "Now then, about this picture." Shinji pulled it out of his father's letter and placed it in his hand and held it up to her. "Not that I'm complaining about the quality, but do you show this to everybody the first time. I realize the importance of a first impression, but is this the only photo ID you have? Or has my personal file alone impressed you?" Shinji said teasingly.

Misato chuckled. "No. I have others. You should see my Christmas cards. No one's complained about the Santa suit yet." She teased back. Misato glanced out of her window, then suddenly pulled the car to a dead stop. "Shinji, hand me the binoculars in the glove compartment."

He did as requested. Misato placed them over her eyes and looked out at Tokyo-3. "What the heck are they doing? Ah crap! They're about to use an N2 mine!" she shouted.

"An N what" asked a confused Shinji.

"GET DOWN!" she shouted as she tackled the boy to the floor.

A huge explosion filled the sky, the shockwave blasting away from the epicenter. It traveled across the countryside, the force pushing the car and flipping it multiple times off the road.

NERV

"Yes, a direct hit!" shouted the JSSDF representative in victory. He looked over to Gendo. "Sorry Ikari, but it looks like you won't be needed after all." Gendo said nothing as he held his trademark pose.

"Video feeds online in 5 seconds." shouted a random tech.

The static on the monitor slowly faded away and was replaced with an image of the angel standing still, fully intact as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell! How did we miss?" the representative said in disbelief.

"It's as I've said. Man can do nothing to harm the angels. Only the power of a god can do that." Gendo replied calmly. The phone rang and the JSSDF general answered it.

"Yes. I'll let them know." he ended the brief call. "Control of this mission has officially been handed over to NERV." The general gave Gendo an intense look. "So Ikari, do you think you can really defeat this thing?"

Gendo smirked and stood up. He raised his hand to his face and pushed on his glasses. "That's what NERV's for, gentlemen." He turned to the Vice Commander. "Fuyutsuki, oversee preparations of Unit 01. I will go and greet the pilot."

"Yes sir." Fuyutsuki replied as he watched Gendo walk away. He smiled. "A father finally reunited with his son. It's unfortunate. This could have been a much happier occasion."

"Alright, on 3, we flip. 1, 2, 3! Hrrrrrrrrrrghhh!" Misato grunted as she and Shinji pushed against the car. After a couple of seconds, the car flipped upright again. Misato wiped off her hands. "Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought." She opened the car door and got back inside. Shinji followed her and she continued her drive towards NERV.

"Was that nuclear strike even effective?" asked Shinji.

"Probably not." was her short answer.

"So, a nuclear strike can't even put these things down. Oh man, this is gonna one hell of a tough battle."

"You'll do fine. I heard you're a pretty good fighter." Misato said.

"I don't think most of my opponents have taken a nuke to the face before." Shinji said sarcastically. "So how far are we anyway?"

"Well actually, we're here." she answered as they entered a tunnel.

Misato parked the car onto a lift and they began their descent into the underground headquarters. Along the way, Shinji stuck his head out the window to get a better look at the geofront.

"This is amazing. An entire underground city!" Shinji said in awe.

Misato chuckled. "Yep. Although it's not always underground, but we'll save that sight for another time."

The lift stopped and the pair began their walk towards their destination.

10 minutes later

"Damn it! I've worked here for how long and I still managed to get lost!" Misato panicked.

"How did we get lost anyway? You're holding the map in your hand." Shinji asked.

"You shut up! Oh man. I will not be responsible for single handedly dooming mankind."

They continued down the hallway and came to a door. They opened it, and Misato gasped in surprise. In the doorway stood her best friend, Ritsuko Akagi. The blond scientist currently had a scowl on her face in a clear look of annoyance.

"Oh. Hey, Ritski." Misato greeted sheepishly.

"How did you get lost this time?! I made you a map for god's sake! I thought I made it idiot proof." Ritsuko shouted.

"I guess it's not Misato proof." Shinji interjected.

"Hey!" said Misato.

Ritsuko turned to look at Shinji. "So this is the third child. I'm Ritsuko Akagi, head NERV scientist and director of Project E. I've heard much about you from your father. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." she greeted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Finally, a beautiful AND smart woman to welcome me to NERV." Shinji greeted back with a bow.

"Watch it, boy." Misato growled.

Ritsuko just chuckled. "Oh lay off him Misato. He's rather honest if you ask me." She turned around and gestured for them to follow. "Come. I'll lead you the rest of the way."

The trio walked for several more minutes before eventually coming to a large doorway. After passing through it, they saw another hallway, and Shinji immediately spotted a man standing at the end of it. He recognized the man as his father, standing before him with a smile on his face.

"Hello my son. I've been waiting." said Gendo. He held his arms out to Shinji.

Shinji walked over to his father and accepted his embrace. "I've missed you dad." he said with a loving smile on his face.

**To Be Continued**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I'm glad you made it here safely son." Gendo said. He broke their embrace and looked at Ritsuko. "The preparations for Unit 01 to enter combat have almost been completed. Are you certain that he'll be able to pilot efficiently enough to fight?" he asked.

Ritsuko opened a file she had been holding and began to read its contents to Gendo. "All prior tests indicate that the Evangelion has been cleared for field deployment. Internal battery function is nominal and pilot safety during activation has been guaranteed." She closed the file and looked at Gendo. "We have yet to finish construction of the third child's plug suit, so his first deployment will have to be without one. It's likely that his synchronization will suffer without it."

Gendo frowned. "It'll have to do. We are out of time and the angel is nearing the geofront with every second we waste here." He turned to Shinji and said, "Follow me. I will show you what you'll be piloting."

Gendo led Shinji through the door behind him, Ritsuko and Misato followed behind them. They entered a large dark room. Gendo led Shinji to the middle of the room and stopped. He looked at Shinji and said, "We are here."

"Dad, it's dark as hell in here. What am I supposed to do here?" Suddenly the lights turned on and Shinji was greeted by the gargantuan Unit 01. Shinji gasped and his eyes widened as he beheld the sight of the thing that had taken his mother from him so many years ago.

"There it is." Shinji said quietly.

"Yes. Evangelion Unit 01. Our greatest creation and our only hope of survival." Gendo bowed his head before adding, "It is also our greatest abomination. A mockery of god."

Ritsuko moved between Shinji and Unit 01 before addressing him. "Shinji Ikari, you are now officially designated the third child. You are recognized as the pilot of Unit 01. Your only fellow pilot as of the present is Rei Ayanami, the first child, pilot of Unit 00."

"Rei Ayanami? You mean there's another pilot available besides me?" He glared at Gendo. "Why didn't you tell me any of this? You said I was your only choice."

Gendo sighed. "Yes, it is true. We do have another pilot on reserve, as well as other Evangelion."

"You mean you made more of these things?" Shinji asked with a subtle anger in his voice. "How many other lives are you going to destroy? Wasn't losing mother enough?!" he yelled at his father in anger. "I trusted you! Why wasn't I told everything?"

Gendo walked over to his son and placed his hands on Shinji's shoulders. "Please calm down Shinji." He said calmly. "The honest answer is because I believed that we had more time to ease you into this. I was afraid you would refuse me if I told you too much too early. I intended to tell you everything after you arrived, but I didn't expect an angel attack this early. You must understand that I have your safety and wellbeing as my main priority."

After a few moments, Shinji took a deep breath and gently brushed his father's hands off of him. He gave Gendo a serious look. "I refuse to pilot until you answer this next question, and it better be satisfying. Why did you send for me if you already have a well-trained, capable pilot on hand, much better suited for the job?"

Gendo was silent for several seconds as he pondered his answer. Finally, he looked at Misato and Ritsuko. "Captain Katsuragi, please go assist in developing a plan of attack. Dr. Akagi, please assist the bridge crew in prepping Unit 01. I'll bring the pilot after I have finished with him."

"Yes sir." Said both women to the Commander. They left the two alone.

"Follow me Shinji. There is something I must show you in order to answer your question."

Shinji said nothing as he followed his father. After a few minutes of walking, Gendo opened the door into a medical observation booth.

"There is a reason that the pilot of Unit 00 was summoned for combat." Said Gendo as he reached his finger out and pressed a button on the wall. Shutters on the wall were reeled to the ceiling, revealing an operating room which the observation booth overlooked. Shinji looked down onto a blue haired girl, with many bandages covering her body, an IV in her arm as she lay on a medical bed. Shinji watched as the girl turned her head to look at the observation booth. Her eyes fixated directly on the younger Ikari, and it was then that Shinji noticed her pale skin and red eyes. She looked exotic, almost unnatural with her hair and eyes, and Shinji found her to be strikingly beautiful.

"That is Rei Ayanami, the first child." said Gendo. Shinji broke his gaze from the girl and turned to look at his father. He noticed that the man was looking away from the girl, preferring to stare at the ground instead. Shinji found it odd that he seemed to have a look of shame in his eyes.

"A few weeks ago, there was an accident involving an experiment with Unit 00. I don't have time to go into details, but as you can see, she is not fit for combat." Gendo then hastily pressed the button on the wall again and the shutters closed over the booth. Shinji turned his head before his sight was blocked to look at Rei again and noticed that she was still staring directly at him.

After the shutters fully covered the windows, Gendo lifted his head up and looked at Shinji. "I really don't want to hide things from you Shinji. You now know the reason why you are the only option I have. Please understand that if you still refuse to pilot, I will have to send Rei out into combat in your place. Have you made your decision yet?"

Shinji's face remained neutral as he spoke. "I will not endanger the life of that girl. I can see now that my refusal would only hurt her, and that would be rather selfish of me." Shinji opened the door behind him, and both Ikaris began to walk to the Evangelion docking bay.

"I expect a full explanation later, father." said Shinji.

"And you'll get one. I promise." he replied.

After arriving at the docking bay, Shinji was led to the entry plug by a bridge technician, who placed an interface headset on his head.

"That headset will allow us to better monitor your vitals and brainwave patterns as you pilot." Ritsuko said through an intercom from an observation booth. "Once you step inside the entry plug, sit down on the seat and the door will shut behind you."

Shinji did as he was told. The door shut with a loud thud, and he was surrounded by darkness. Suddenly, the sound of rushing liquid filled the plug. Shinji looked down and watched as an orange liquid quickly filled the plug. "What the hell is this?!" Shinji yelled. He let out a scream before taking a large gulp of air and then held it as the liquid filled the entire plug.

"Just relax and breathe normally. You are surrounded by a special substance known as LCL. It's oxygenated, and it will allow you to properly synch with the Evangelion. Just take a deep breath." said Ritsuko through the Eva's comm channel.

Shinji opened his mouth and let the air he was holding out with a gasp as air bubbles escaped from his mouth and floated to the top of the plug. Suddenly, a spasm of light flickered across his field of vision, and he watched as the LCL turned from orange, then multicolored, and then finally disappearing as he was presented with a full view of the docking bay.

As the bridge crew began final preparations, Misato opened the comm channel and spoke to Shinji. "Are you alright? I know this can't possibly be easy for you. Are you frightened at all, Shinji?"

Shinji smiled at the care that he detected in her voice. "Honestly Misato, I'm terrified. I have no idea whether I will walk away from this fight or not." he answered.

"Shinji. I want you to know that everyone is proud of you. We admire your courage and your decision to fight for us, to protect us. Just know that we'll be behind you every step of the way, and that you give us strength Shinji."

Shinji felt relief at her statement. "Thanks Misato. I really needed that."

"Anytime kiddo." she said back to him. "Now onto business. We have evaluated the angel's method of attack, and it appears to be a medium to close range combatant. We are aware that the angel's defenses make conventional weaponry useless against it, so your only chance of success is a straight up brawl against it. Its weakness is its core, the large red orb in the center of its chest. Your objective is to destroy the core as fast as possible."

Shinji nodded. "I understand."

"One more thing Shinji." Ritsuko added. "The Eva runs off of a steady supply of electricity. Your source of power is provided through an umbilical cable plugged into the unit. Should this cable sever, you'll have approximately five minutes to dispatch the angel when the Eva switches to internal battery backup power."

"Got it." was his short reply.

As final preparations were completed, Unit 01 was moved onto the launch pad.

"Begin synchronization of the pilot with the Evangelion." Ritsuko ordered.

Inside the plug, Shinji began to feel a strange sensation. "What is this?" he asked himself. "This feeling. It feels warm. Comfortable. For some reason, I feel safe. What's going on?"

After a few minutes, Shinji's synch results were returned.

"Oh wow." said Maya, Ritsuko's assistant. "Doctor, we have his results. He is holding at a steady 75%."

Ritsuko gasped in amazement. She walked towards the monitor and verified the score herself. "That's unbelievable. And without a plugsuit too. He's already topped Rei's score, and he's already close to beating the second child, and without any training to boot."

Behind her, Gendo was grinning with pride. He looked at Unit 01. "So you've accepted him with open arms, Yui. I'm so glad." Gendo thought to himself.

Back in the plug, Shinji recovered from the strange sensation and readied himself. "Are you ready Shinji?" Misato asked him.

Shinji gave a confident smirk. "Yeah. It's now or never. Let's do this."

"Launch Evangelion Unit 01!" Misato shouted.

Shinji watched as he was launched upwards, the view of the geofront quickly passing beneath him as he was carried to the surface. Above him, the hatch doors of the launch pad opened as Unit 01 broke the surface. The Eva was brought to a quick halt as it reached the end of the launch rail.

Shinji looked ahead, and for the second time that day, he laid eyes on the gigantic being known as an angel. The nervousness he felt was suddenly replaced by aggression. "It's because of you and your kind that so many have perished, and many more have suffered through their loss. Your existence cost me the life of my mother." He watched as the angel turned and looked at him. "Yeah, that's right you son of a bitch. You're fighting me now, and unfortunately for you, I'm much tougher to kill." he growled.

The restraints holding Unit 01 to the launch pad were released, and the Eva slouched forward. "Shinji, the Eva is now synched to you. Its moves as you move. If you think of walking, the Eva will walk. Act as though you are the Eva." Ritsuko explained.

"Alright." Shinji replied. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. "Just walk." he said in his mind. Suddenly, he felt the Eva's foot move forward. "It's working!" The Eva took another step, then another. After several more steps, its speed began to increase. "I'll kill you!" Shinji cried as the Eva suddenly charged at the angel.

As he approached his enemy, Shinji let out a roar as he unleashed a punch at the angel. The Eva's fist however was stopped mid strike by an orange, octahedral field that shined in front of the angel. "What is this?" Shinji asked with surprise.

"An AT field, the angel's biggest defense. You'll have to pierce it in order to get at its core." Ritsuko answered.

"And how do I go about doing that?" Shinji asked as he threw another punch at the angel, which was again blocked by the AT field. He received no answer. Suddenly, the angel held its hand out in front of it, and a shining spear suddenly extended from its hand. Caught by surprise, Shinji dodged out of the way, but the spear managed to sever his umbilical cable. Inside the Eva, a clock appeared with five minutes on its face as it began its countdown.

"The Eva has switched to back up power. Five minutes until total shutdown." Maya reported.

The angel began to retract its spear, but Shinji reacted quickly enough and grabbed it, stopping it from receding into the angel's body. Shinji yelled and threw the angel with all the strength he had, sending it flying across several city blocks. As the angel slid, it crashed through multiple buildings, crushing every single one in its path. After it slid to a stop, Shinji charged at it and leapt into the air. He came down on top of the angel, but he was stopped once again by it's AT field. He leapt off of the protective field, but when he landed, he ended up losing his balance and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Damn it. This is hard to get used to." Shinji said. He suddenly gasped as he watched the angel's spear shoot at him, too fast for him to react. The spear pierced the Eva in the abdomen, and an overwhelming pain shot through Shinji's body. He began to scream in agony. "It hurts so much! Why am I feeling pain?"

"Shinji, it's not really your pain!" shouted Ritsuko. You feel the pain the Eva feels! You are connected to it!"

"Shinji please! You need to overcome this!" Misato pleaded.

Shinji continued to scream, when the angel retracted its spear, and then grabbed the Eva by the head. Shinji watched through clenched eyelids as a purple light filled his vision. Slowly, a searing pain began to fill his head, and the sensation prevented him from screaming out in pain.

"The angel is piercing the cranial armor!" Maya shouted.

"Oh no! Damage that extensive will cripple him! The shock it's inflicting on his brain will paralyze him" yelled Ritsuko.

Everyone watched in terror as the helmet of the unit slowly cracked, the crack increasing in size every second. Back on the bridge, Maya looked away at the horrible sight. Suddenly, the angel's spear pierced through the Eva's head and extended away from it, taking the Eva with it. The spear kept going until the Eva that was stuck to it collided with a building. A loud crash rang out, and the angel retracted its spear, the Eva's head slumped forward as it did so. A jet of what appeared to be blood spurted from the wound, covering the nearby city blocks with it.

"The pilots vitals are diminishing, his synch ratio is decreasing rapidly! Battery life remaining in the Eva is 3 minutes!" shouted the technician Makoto.

Misato rushed over to the intercom. "Shinji! Please tell me you're okay! Shinji, answer me! Shinji!"

Behind her sat Gendo at his desk, his fists slammed down on the top of it, a look of rage on his face. "No. You will not take my son away from me! He is stronger than you! He'll pull thorough this." he whispered to himself. Tears began to fall from the Commander's eyes. "Please don't leave me Shinji."

Inside the Eva, Shinji slowly raised his head. Pain had blurred his vision as he watched the angel slowly advance towards him. "Damn it." He whispered. "God damn it." Another throb of pain filled his head, and Shinji's body convulsed in reaction as the timer buzzed next to him, as the Eva's two and a half minutes of life began to tick away.

**To Be Continued**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The ground trembled as the angel advanced towards the downed Eva. The purple giant sat slumped forward, unmoving as the pilot inside writhed in reaction to the pain that was not his own. The clock in the corner continued to count down his last moments of power, as bubbles floated to the top of the LCL inside as the ground shook.

"Why? Why does this feel so real?" Shinji said as tears of pain rolled down his cheeks. He struggled to lift his head to look at the advancing angel. His hands covered his forehead, attempting to numb the pain. "Was this how mother felt? Did she go through this pain? Was she scared too? I don't want to die." he whispered sadly.

The angel stopped walking when it stood in front of Unit 01. It raised its hand and launched its spear once again, piercing the stomach wound it had inflicted earlier. Shinji screamed again as the clock beeped, warning the pilot of his last two minutes of power.

"You won't…" a voice whispered. It sounded feminine, speaking so quietly that Shinji was unsure whether he really heard it, or imagined it.

"What? Who said that?" Shinji asked in a hushed, pained whisper. He clutched his stomach as the spear plunged deeper, his synchronization with Unit 01 allowing him to feel every second of it.

"You won't die, for it is not yet your time." the voice said quietly. Shinji gasped as his body involuntarily became rigid. Images began to flash thorough his mind. He saw himself standing beside Misato and Ritsuko. "Do not forget why you've chosen to fight." said the voice. He saw himself standing over the hospitalized Rei, her eyes looking back at him. "The ones you've vowed to defend." Harumi flashed before him. "The friends you've made." His father's smile flashed in front of him. "The one's you love."

Shinji began to sob softly. Suddenly, an image of his mother looking at him, with a peaceful smile and her face and her eyes shining brightly flashed in his mind. "The ones you've lost, because of them." The voice finished. An image of large, white wings filling the sky, bright orbs of light surrounding it flashed by, replaced by a large, white giant. Finally, an image of Unit 01 stood towering over him, its face looking at him.

Shinji's pain was slowly replaced by anger. His body began to tremble as his hands moved from his face to the control sticks, gripping them tightly. He let out a low growl as the clock beeped a warning of his minute and a half of power.

**NERV Headquarters**

Makoto looked at the monitor in front of him in shock. "The pilot's synch ratio has just jumped to 150%!" he yelled.

"What? That shouldn't be possible! He shouldn't be able to move with the injuries he's sustained!" Ritsuko shouted in reply.

"Brain wave patterns have become erratic! The Eva is beginning to move!" yelled Aoba.

"What's happening Ritsuko? Is Shinji okay?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko didn't answer as she stared at the monitor in awe. Misato, along with everyone else looked back towards the battlefield as Unit 01 began to move.

**Tokyo-3**

Eva Unit 01 suddenly lifted its head up and looked at the angel. Shinji screamed in rage and Unit 01 let out a loud roar along with him. Unit 01's hands grasped the spear that still impaled it and applied pressure on it. It placed its foot on the spear, putting its weight on it. "I will not die! Not by you!" Shinji screamed. Suddenly the spear snapped, causing the angel to stagger backward in pain. Unit 01 slowly stood up, and pulled the spear from its stomach. Unit 01 roared again and charged towards its enemy.

The angel raised its hand and launched its other spear. Unit 01 dodged out of the way and continued its charge. The angel attempted to defend itself by launching its spear again, but Shinji had expected this. He reached Unit 01's right hand out and caught the spear with it. He grunted with extreme effort as he twisted the hand. After a few seconds, the spear snapped, causing the angel to let out a cry of pain. Shinji lunged forward, lifting one of the spears over the Eva's head. He brought the spear down, colliding with the AT field. Unit 01 pushed against the field with the spear as it slowly began to sink into it.

"He's piercing the AT field!" Makoto shouted.

"He's using the angel's own body to breach its defenses." said Misato. "We still have a chance." she said as she clutched at the cross shaped pendant she wore around her neck.

The spear continued to plunge deeper into the AT field. Suddenly, a large crack split across the field, shattering it completely. The spear lunged at the angel, but the angel caught Unit 01's hand in its own as it struggled to overpower the Eva's attack.

"No, you die now!" Shinji shouted. Unit 01 lunged at the angel with its other hand, aiming the spear towards its face. The angel was unable to stop it as both of its hands were preoccupied with Unit 01's other hand. A splash of blood flew across the battlefield as the angel staggered backward in pain, letting out an ear piercing shriek. Unit 01 ran forward and kicked the angel in the abdomen as hard as it could, sending it sailing backward, where it landed on its back, the spear embedded in its face pointing to the sky.

The clock inside the plug beeped, indicating that only thirty seconds of power remained. "Let's end this!" Shinji growled. Unit 01 sprinted and leaped into the air, raising the remaining spear over its head before thrusting it down on top of the angel. The angel caught the spear in its hands and began its final struggle against the Eva as its own weapon slowly lowered towards its core. Shinji screamed as the spear slowly pierced the core. The angel's struggle lessened as the spear impaled further and further into its core. Suddenly, its arms went limp as its core cracked in two. "It's over!" Shinji shouted in victory as life left the angel beneath him. As he said this, the angel's core began to glow a bright white.

"Oh no! The angel is about to self-destruct! He'll never make it out of there in time! He'll be incinerated!" shouted Ritsuko.

"No, Shinji!" Misato shouted in desperation.

The light from the core became increasingly blinding as the angel approached detonation. Shinji's body froze as he awaited his impending doom. Suddenly, the Eva's arms moved of their own volition. It placed them in front of the glowing core, and an AT field formed in front of them.

"An AT field? From the Eva?" said Shinji in surprise. Suddenly, the world around him turned white as the angel detonated. The explosion boomed across Tokyo-3, the fire rose upwards, forming a burning cross that filled the sky. The ground quaked with the force of the explosion, but Unit 01 held its ground, it's AT field shielding both it and its pilot as the inferno raged around it.

**NERV Headquarters**

The various monitors that surveyed the battle were all displaying the cross shaped explosion, the Evangelion completely obscured from view by it. Every person, from the technicians and bridge crew to the head scientists were all looking at the fire with wide, fearful eyes as they watched the explosion engulf their only hope for survival. Maya held her head in her hands and she broke into a light sob. Ritsuko was motionless as she watched the fire burn. Gendo had an angered frown on his face as the explosion reflected off of his glasses. Misato clutched the pendant she wore again. "Did he make it?" she asked in a hushed voice. She never received a reply. The despair in the room increased with every passing minute as the explosion began to dissipate. After a few more minutes, the monitors began to show signs of activity as damage reports began to run across the screen.

"We're receiving signals from the Eva." reported Makoto. "Damage reports indicate that Unit 01 has survived the explosion."

"Is Shinji okay?" asked Misato.

"We are unable to confirm the state of the pilot. Life support readings are not being received." he replied.

Suddenly, an extremely loud thud was heard, causing everyone to look back at the monitor displaying the battlefield. Another thud sounded, followed by another and another, occurring in a pattern that seemed to resemble footsteps. As everyone watched in awe, they saw Unit 01 slowly emerge from the fire, walking at a slow, steady pace towards NERV HQ. It looked like a demon that had spawned from hell's fire itself, the explosion casting a dark shadow over the giant as its eyes glowed white.

"We have visual confirmation of Unit 01's survival." said Aoba.

"Oh thank god!" Ritsuko gasped in relief as she collapsed into a chair.

The Eva continued to walk for a few more seconds before it slumped forward as it exhausted the last of its power. It fell to the ground face first with a loud thud, and then rolled onto its side as it bounced from the impact. After a few seconds, the entry plug ejected from its place in the Eva's neck. Steam rose from the plug as the door swung open and the LCL flowed out of it. A hand poked out from the plug and grasped the edges of the door. Shinji pulled himself up and out of the door, then lightly stepped out of the plug and onto the ground. He raised his head to the sky, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly before collapsing to the ground.

**NERV Headquarters**

"Visual confirmation on the pilot! He survived!" shouted Makoto. Cheers of victory and relief filled the room at Shinji's victory.

"Recovery teams prepare to retrieve the Evangelion! Send a medical team to recover Shinji immediately." Misato ordered. The various personnel scrambled to do as they were told as they set out to retrieve Shinji and the Eva.

**2 hours later**

Shinji lay asleep in a hospital bed, sleeping restlessly as he was observed by Ritsuko. As she was looking over Shinji's medical reports, the door opened and Gendo entered.

"How is his recover coming along?" he asked her.

"His vitals are stable and he appears to have suffered no lasting physical injuries." she said. "His brain wave patterns indicate that he is reacting to what he experienced during combat. His sleep pattern is rather restless, but I do not see any signs of lasting damage to his psyche. He also does not appear to have suffered any mental contamination from contact with the angel. He should be fine to pilot in the future."

Gendo nodded. "Excellent. I'm glad that he is safe. Unfortunately, I must leave for a meeting, so I will not be able to debrief him personally. Shinji has requested a meeting with me later, but I'm afraid that we'll have to reschedule. Continue to oversee his recovery in my absence and report any problems that occur to me immediately. If he is fit to be released from hospital care, you have my permission to do so."

"I understand. But if I do release him, where should I send him? Have his living arrangements been taken care of yet?" she asked.

Gendo paused before answering her. "I have deemed my residence unsuitable for housing a child. Even if it was, I doubt he would enjoy spending his time there." he said solemnly. "With that said, I have searched for volunteers, and only one person has expressed interest in being his new guardian."

"And does this guardian meet the requirements of a responsible adult?" she asked curiously.

Gendo sighed, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Just barely." was his short answer.

"Barely?! Who did you hire?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Misato walked into the room with a confident grin on her face. "That would be me!" she boasted.

"Misato?!" Ritsuko half yelled, half gasped in disbelief.

"Yeah… On such short terms, she's the best available option." Sighed Gendo as he replaced his glasses. "Shinji's belongings are being transferred to your residence as we speak, Captain Katsuragi. I wish I could stay, but I must leave now." said Gendo as he turned to leave. "The committee might become suspicious if I keep them waiting." he said under his breath as he walked out the door, shutting it behind him.

Ritsuko turned to the smiling Captain with a scowl on her face. A vein on her forehead began to pulse in her frustration. "Why would you volunteer to be his guardian Misato? You're not exactly fit for responsibility of this magnitude." said Ritsuko.

"Hey, I can take care of him. I'd make a great guardian. I mean look at me." she said as she brushed her hands down his sides. "I don't think Shinji would object much to me being his caretaker."

"Your room is a sty and your food is worse than a truck stop bathroom sandwich. And you're attire isn't exactly appropriate for a guardian-ward relationship."

"Oh come on! I promise not to put the moves on him! He probably gets that enough from the girls his age anyway." Misato pouted.

"I should hope not! You're twice his age and you're making jokes like that! How shameless can you be Misato?!" shouted Ritsuko hysterically.

"I forgot that your sense of humor is nonexistent. Well, whether you like it or not, the Commander has already arranged for my guardianship, so your input doesn't really matter anyway." Misato replied.

"Whatever." Ritsuko huffed.

On the bed, Shinji began to groan and stir from his slumber. His eyes slowly opened as his brain registered that he was no longer in danger. He sat up slowly and looked around the room. He spotted Ritsuko and Misato looking back at him. The doctor had a content look at his recovery, while the purple haired Captain giggled and ran up to him, giving him a light hug.

"So how's our little hero doing?" she giggled at him.

"Hi Misato. I'm guessing that I won. What happened exactly? I can't remember much right now." he groaned softly.

Ritsuko stood next to him and began her long winded debriefing. "After you destroyed the angel's core, its body self-destructed. We cannot garner the exact details on the events after the explosion due to our monitors failing to pick up any data at that point in time, but we are certain that Unit 01 has suffered minimal damage in its body and cranial armor. You were found passed out outside of the entry plug. After examinations were conducted, we have determined that you have suffered no physical injury and very minor mental shock from the pain your brain register from your synchronization with Unit 01."

"Doctor Akagi." Shinji began. "During the battle, after I was stabbed in the head, I began to hear a voice and see images in my mind. The voice sounded female, but I couldn't exactly place it. Do you have any idea what may have happened?" he asked.

Ritsuko's eyes widened at his question. "A female voice? And you say this happened after your head injury."

"Yes." he replied.

"That is interesting. As it so happens, at that moment your synch ratio with Unit 01 momentarily increased to 150%. You don't recall much of the battle after this moment?"

"No. It's all a blur. The most I can remember was feeling rage at what I was seeing in my mind, but I can't really remember my actions." he said.

"Hmmm, that is interesting. I'll have to look into this Shinji. I suspect that it had something to do with communication with the Eva, but I don't know enough at the moment to really reach a conclusion." She said.

"Please do find out Doctor." said Shinji.

"Guess what other news there is Shinji." Misato whispered at him.

"W-What is it?" he stammered at her close proximity.

"You're rooming with me! Isn't that exciting?" she said with glee.

"Oh. That's rather unexpected. And my father approved of this?" Shinji asked.

"Against his better judgment." Ritsuko said under her breath.

"Don't worry. We're going to have so much fun together." said Misato cheerfully. "That reminds me. After you get out of here, there's something that I want to show you." she said in a sultry tone.

Shinji blushed and quickly turned his attention to Ritsuko. "Where is my father anyway?"

"He has left for an urgent meeting." she answered. "He wishes me to tell you that he will talk with you at another, more convenient time. He has also asked me to discharge you from hospital care if I deem you ready. While I have my doubts about your current living arrangements, your health is in acceptable condition, and I am discharging you as of this moment. You'll find your clothes in that dresser." she said and pointed at a dresser that sat in the corner of the room.

"Yay! Hurry up and get dressed so I can celebrate my new roomy!" said a happy Misato as she followed Ritsuko out of the room. "When you're ready, meet me out front by my car and I'll drive you from there." she said as she shut the door.

After they left, Shinji stood up and retrieved his clothes and changed. He left his room and headed for the stairs to the first floor. As he reached the entrance hallway, he spotted a girl staring out one of the nearby windows. Upon closer inspection he discovered that it was none other than Rei Ayanami, still bandaged but standing perfectly well on her own. He walked over to her and tried to get her attention.

"Are you Rei Ayanami?" he asked.

After a few seconds, the girl answered him. "Yes." was all she said.

"Um, are you doing alright? You're bandaged pretty heavily."

"The doctors have deemed me fit for departure. I am ordered to leave for my apartment in a few minutes." she said in a soft voice as she turned away from the window and began to leave.

"Rei!" Shinji shouted at her.

Rei turned around and looked at him. "Yes?" said her quiet voice.

"Um, I'm glad I have someone else to rely on. Piloting isn't easy, and I'm glad I have you to help me." he said with a nervous smile.

She continued to stare at him. "I see." She turned around and continued to walk away from him.

"Well, I'll talk to you later then." Shinji shouted after her. She didn't react and continued to walk down the hall, turning the corner when she reached the end of it.

Shinji let out a nervous breath that he was unaware that he was holding. "What's with her?" he said to himself. "She may be cute, but she hardly said a word to me. Maybe she just has trouble speaking to others." He shrugged it off and opened the door and walk out into the parking lot. He looked around and found Misato in her blue Alpine, wearing a pair of sunglasses and waving at him.

"C'mon Shinji! We're burning daylight." She said as she honked her horn.

Shinji took a step forward, and then paused. His whole body suddenly became rigid at a startling realization. "Oh no. I forgot about her driving." he said with fear filling his voice. He opened the passenger door and tentatively shut it behind him. As soon as he did so, the car lurched forward and sped off down the road.

**To Be Continued**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

At an undisclosed location, Gendo Ikari entered a darkened room and sat down at a desk illuminated in the center of the room, lacing his fingers in front of face and leaning forward, the light reflecting off of his glasses, completely obscuring his eyes. He was accompanied by Fuyutsuki, who simply stood behind him, completely invisible in the blackness that surrounded him. After a few minutes, seven large, black monoliths which glowed red on the front appeared and surrounded the Commander, the words "SOUND ONLY" appearing in the middle of each one. The logo on the front of each monolith consisted of an upside down triangle with a row of three eyes and another row of 4 eyes on each side of it staring forward as I they were gazing into the Commander's very soul. An apple containing the name Seele sat in the middle of the triangle, with an angry looking snake curling around the apple, its mouth open and bearing its fangs. The phrase "_Uberm Sternenzelt richtet Gott, wie wer gerichtet_." rested underneath the Seele name. Gendo knew enough to recognize the phrase from Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy." After his first meeting with Seele, his curiosity compelled him to translate the phrase, and he found that its translation was "Above the starry-sky judges God, the way we judged." He found the phrase to be fitting for the people who had been pulling the strings on humanity's evolution, and wanted to bring about its instrumentality.

Seele Member 01 was the first to speak. "So, the first messenger has arrived and passed. It is good to see that our investments were well placed. Our weapon of salvation has proven most invaluable in the Human Instrumentality Project." The man behind the monolith had a deep and menacing voice.

"Yes, its power was indeed enough to overcome the third angel. However, there is a problem with its pilot." said Member 04. His voice was higher pitched than 01, but it was no less menacing. "It was described in the Dead Sea Scrolls that Unit 01's pilot would fail to combat the angel effectively, and that Unit 01 would awaken for the first time. This was not the case."

"The pilot himself dispatched the angel under full control of the Evangelion. This action does not match our current scenario and could possibly jeopardize the entire project." added Member 02.

"The Dead Sea Scrolls predicted the death of the angel's at the death of the Evangelion. They did not elaborate on the failure of the pilot. If anything, this is more beneficial to the scenario than we previously thought." Gendo interjected.

"Humanity is destined for instrumentality! We have come too far to take petty risks for the safety of one individual!" shouted Member 06 in a loud outburst.

Gendo's face remained emotionless as he held has hands in front of his face. "That individual is my son. He is also the only person capable of piloting the Eva. His full cooperation must be assured if the project is to succeed. Showing unconcern for his well-being will most likely cause unforeseen circumstances to the project, and may even result in an instrumentality that was unintended by this committee."

"This is nonsense!" yelled Member 06. "I demand that you bring the pilot under control immediately! Your parental concerns are trivial compared to the big picture! He is a tool for a means to an end! His fate was planned out since the day he was born and it should be continued as planned! His irrational behavior is not in the scenario and I demand that this be changed immediately!"

"I will not break my son for the good of the project." said Gendo calmly.

"Your refusal will be seen as a betrayal to Seele." said Member 05. "Our control of the JSSDF will certainly come in handy should the need arise." Gendo did not react to the threat.

"Enough!" yelled Member 01. "Ikari, I personally have not observed any possible problems with the behavior of the third child. However, this committee does not have the time to deal with the petty emotions of a single individual, especially with the arrival of the next messenger just on the horizon. Should no problems occur in the future, it is the opinion of this committee that no action be taken towards controlling the third child. But if the scenario is jeopardized in any way, we expect immediate action to be taken. Should you fail, we will take action ourselves, and we will not guarantee the safety of you or the pilot." Gendo did not flinch.

"This meeting is adjourned." said Member 01. All of the monoliths faded except for Member 01, standing directly in front of Gendo. "Do not make us regret this decision, Ikari." was all he said before fading away. After all of the members left, the lights in the room flashed on.

"Are you sure it's wise to defy the committee?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"It is if their plans conflict with my own. Shinji's well-being is an integral part of my instrumentality." said Gendo. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small photo. It was the same picture he had given Shinji 10 years ago. He looked at it and smiled sadly. "I promised we would be a family again, and I intend to fulfill that promise."

**Tokyo-3**

"And here is our first stop." said Misato as she parallel parked the car and opened the door. Shinji also got out of the car and looked at their destination.

"Why'd you bring me to a grocery store?" asked Shinji.

"Because I currently have only enough food for one at my place." Misato answered as the automatic doors opened. She turned to her new ward and smiled warmly at him. "Now feel free to pick out anything you want, except alcohol of course. That's for me only."

"Don't mind if I do." Shinji replied as he grabbed a shopping cart. They walked through every aisle in the store, grabbing several different snacks and drinks that caught their fancy. Shinji took over the shopping when it came to the meat and produce. "We'll need this for when I start cooking. I've got a lot of good meals planned." Shinji explained.

"Wow, you cook Shinji?" said Misato with interest.

"Yeah, Hideaki taught me the basics of cooking when I was little, but as time went on I took an interest in it, watched a lot of cooking shows, and sort of self-taught myself out of whatever I could get my hands on." Shinji admitted. "I'd mess up often in the beginning, but after enough experimentation I learned what generally went good with each other."

"Wow, you're cute and you cook." She reached over and ruffled his hair. "You're gonna make some girl real happy in the future."

Shinji blushed. "Hideaki's said that to me several times before."

"And I'm sure all of your exes have complimented you as well." added Misato.

"Ah, actually, I've um… never had a girlfriend before." Shinji stuttered in embarrassment.

"What! Are you serious? How'd that happened?" asked the shocked Captain.

"I um, get kind of nervous talking to pretty girls." he answered."

Misato gave him a hurt look. "Well you seem to have no problems talking to me."

"T-that's… I didn't mean… you're pretty Misato." he stammered. "It more like, I can't properly flirt with girls. It's hard to explain, but, well let's just say I'm not the smoothest guy on the planet. I can laugh and have fun, but I'm not a very good womanizer."

"I might be able to help with that you know." she winked at him.

"Now you're just teasing me!" he whined.

"And I'm enjoying the hell out of it. You're a rather easy target." she said as she tossed a bag of lettuce in the cart.

After finding everything they needed, plus a few extra 12 packs of beer for Misato, they checked out their groceries, loaded into the car and continued to their next stop. They drove for about fifteen minutes before coming to a scenic overlook with a beautiful view of Tokyo-3.

"Oh good, we're in time! We almost didn't make it." Said Misato as she walked over to the safety railing, looking at her watch to verify the time, Shinji following her. He looked out at the sunset casting its orange glow over the city.

"It's a nice view, but aren't you a little too old to be romancing a fourteen year old?" teased Shinji.

Misato glared at him. "What happened to that nervousness earlier? Am I still too unattractive to turn you into a nervous wreck?"

"Oh come on! You practically handed that one too me!" Shinji sighed. "What are we really here for then?"

"Just look. It's about time." Misato replied.

Shinji watched as a loud siren blared across the city. As the siren sounded out, the ground appeared to shift all across the city. Shinji gasped as he witnessed buildings protruding from the Earth, rising higher and higher as they towered over the city.

"Wow! It's like their growing out of the ground! It's as if the city is coming to life!" said Shinji in awe.

"Yup. Look out there Shinji. That city that is awakening underneath you is the city that you saved. I wanted to show you that it was your bravery that saved us all. It's because of your bravery and your decision to pilot that that city and all of its inhabitants are still here. It proves that did a noble thing today. I thought it would be best for you to see the fruits of your labor." She told him as he continued to watch Tokyo-3's reawakening.

"Misato, it's amazing. I can't believe that something like this is possible!"

"Yup. After second impact, humanity rebuilt itself and moved on from that tragedy. This city that you saved is a result of that struggle."

Shinji continued to watch the buildings grow until they stopped, admiring the sunset reflecting off of the various buildings, casting shadows in various directions. His gaze lingered for a few more minutes before he looked at Misato and smiled.

"Thank you so much for showing me this. It helps to know that I made a difference and that I made the right decision." he said with gratitude.

"I'm glad this helped you Shinji. You know, I wasn't joking about what I said earlier, about making some girl happy someday. You certainly have great potential." she said in with an honest tone.

"T-thanks." he said as his cheeks began to turn red.

"Oh no!" Misato suddenly gasped. "I forgot about the groceries! We better hurry before they spoil!" she said as she rushed to the car. Shinji followed her and set his seatbelt to the tightest setting as the car jerked forward violently as it sped away.

After arriving at her apartment, Misato led Shinji to the elevator and towards her apartment number. "Quit complaining! We're almost there!"

"You have one bag! This isn't fair, I have five!" Shinji grunted as his muscles strained to carry the various bags of groceries.

"That's because I'm a lady. Didn't Hideaki teach you about chivalry young man?" she teased.

"Yeah! But he also talked about pulling your own weight! I did kill an angel after all!"

"Oh calm down. We're here. Come inside. This is your home now Shinji." she said as she slid the door open for him.

Shinji set the bags down on the floor with a grunt and stretched out his back. "Well… home sweet home." he panted.

"Home sweet home." She repeated as she shut the door.

"I hope you don't mind a little mess. I didn't really have time to clean up earlier. Make yourself at home while I go change." said Misato.

"This is a little messy." Shinji whispered meekly. He scanned the floor to find various food wrappings and beer cans littering the floor. Further exploration into the apartment uncovered piles of clothes strewn about in every room, paper plates resting on the couch and the counters, the trash can filled to the brim and dishes overflowing in the sink.

"It's more of a landfill than an apartment. This'll take hours to clean!" Shinji grumbled. He started to put the groceries away. When he came to the beer, he brought it over to the fridge and opened the right door. His eyes bulged as he saw every shelf stuffed with Yebisu beer, spreading all the way to the back of the fridge.

"I thought you said you needed beer! There's enough to drink an elephant under the table!" he shouted to her.

"I did! The other side's completely empty!" she yelled back.

Shinji yanked the other door open and saw that it was indeed empty. "You consider this running out!" he shouted in disbelief.

He received no answer as he numbly started to place the beer into the fridge. When he finished, he shut the door as Misato walked out her bedroom. Shinji yelped as he looked at her new attire. Misato wore an extremely loose pink tank top and, as far as Shinji could tell, was currently braless. The pants she wore were jeans and were cut extremely short, leaving very little to Shinji's teenaged imagination.

Shinji's face turned as red as a tomato, and he could feel his pants begin to shrink. He quickly averted his gaze. "You chose to change into that!" he yelled.

She glanced at her shirt quickly. "Hmmph, I'm in my own home, so I decided to relax. You oughta lighten up a little. You should consider yourself lucky. You're rooming with quite the babe wouldn't you say?" she giggled.

"What have I gotten into?" Shinji sighed. He turned away from her and retrieved the ingredients he would need to cook their dinner. Misato sat down and watched him go to work. She grinned as the smell of his cooking wafted over her. "Smells good." she commented. After he was done, he served their meals and they began to eat. Misato enjoyed every bite, gulping down her beer as she devoured her meal. After she was finished, she let out a loud, satisfied sigh.

"That was perfect. You mind switching off cooking every other night? I could get used to this." she asked as she stretched her arms.

"No, I don't mind. I love cooking, and if you really like it, I see no reason not to." he said, pleased that she had enjoyed his cooking.

"Excellent. Now you should go wash up. You need to look your best if you're to impress the ladies on your first day of school." she teased.

"I'm starting tomorrow?! I don't even get a day to relax, or even prepare?" he asked.

"Hee hee, nope. Now get in that tub! Wash all those troubles down the drain." she said in a sing song voice.

Shinji groaned as he walked to the bathroom. He opened the door and removed his clothing before opening the shower door. He was greeted by a furry object that was shaking the water off its body. Shinji screamed and ran out of the bathroom.

"M-M-M-M-Misato! There's something in the bathroom!"

Misato just stared at Shinji, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Eh, what?" she said with confusion, her eyes still on Shinji.

"Something tried to attack me in the tub!" he shouted. Behind him, the animal, which turned out to be a penguin, walked past him and gave him a look, as if it were judging him before opening a fridge and walking inside, shutting the door behind it.

"Oh! That's just Pen Pen. He's a warm water penguin." She explained as she continued to look at Shinji.

"Why do you have a fricking penguin as a pet?! It couldn't have been a cat or a dog instead?!" he shouted hysterically.

"Hey, Pen Pen's cool! Trust me, you'll love him. Oh, and Shinji..." she paused.

"What?" he asked.

"Glad to see that you've taken my advice, relaxed and really settled in here." she said, desperately holding back a laugh as she took a drink from her beer.

Shinji looked down at his naked body and shrieked. He covered himself up and ran back into the bathroom, blushing as he went.

"Hey! Look at it this way! Now you know you've got something else to really impress the ladies!" she yelled after him before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

**45 minutes later**

Shinji was lying in his bed, his headphones in his ears as he listened to his SDAT player.

"Misato's not such a bad person." he thought to himself. "Bit of a slob, but at least she's fun to be around. That'll definitely help me get by in this place."

Shinji turned over onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling. "Rei Ayanami. She seems so mysterious. She sure isn't very talkative, and she doesn't seem to want to talk to me. I wonder if it's something I did." Shinji smiled. "She sure was cute though. I wonder why father didn't at least mention her before." His smile turned into a frown. "And why did he seem to not want to look at her when he showed her to me?" he asked himself. The song on his player ended and began to play the next track.

His bedroom door slid open and Misato stood in the doorway, one towel around her body and another towel resting on her shoulders. "Shinji, I just want you to know that I think that what you did today was one of the bravest things I've ever seen. I just want you to know that I'm sorry to put this burden on you, and that I'm sorry that I can't do more to help." She walked over to him and gently hugged him. "Sleep well, Shinji."

Shinji turned around and hugged her back. "Thank you Misato." He felt no embarrassment at their embrace. They broke apart and Misato walked out of his room, shutting his door as she left. Shinji laid back down on his bed with a grin.

"I think I'm going to like it here." he said. He closed his eyes and began to fall asleep. As he slept, his SDAT kept playing before automatically rewinding the tape and restarting it, the music lulling him to sleep.

**To Be Continued**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The alarm clock in Shinji's room blared loudly, waking him up for his first day of school. Shinji groaned and slowly lifted his head from his pillow to glance at the clock. Shinji pushed the off button to silence the clock and got out of bed. He quietly prepared himself for a shower so as to not wake Misato, who was currently snoring softly in her room. After his shower, Shinji opened his closet to find his school uniform inside. He changed into it, then walked into the kitchen and cooked himself and Misato a bento for later. After finishing his cooking, he placed the food into two boxes and placed one in his backpack, pulling out a notebook and pen as he did so. Shinji placed Misato's bento on the counter and wrote her a note to go with it.

_Dear Misato,_

_I woke up early this morning and saw that you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you up, so I got myself ready and I've already left. I found your directions to the school, so don't worry about me not finding my way there. I've left you a bento for you to have in the fridge, next to the beer. I realize that's not a very specific location, but I'm sure you'll find it eventually. I hope you like the food, and I'll see you when you get home later._

_Sincerely,_

_Shinji._

He ripped the paper out of his notebook and placed it next to the bento. He grabbed his SDAT, placed the headphones in his ears, threw on his backpack and set off for school.

As Shinji walked through Tokyo-3, he took the time to take in all the people and shops that he passed. He smiled as the early morning sun shone down on the city, the music in his ears playing a soft melody which he hummed to the tune of.

About halfway to the school, Shinji came across a ruined building with police tape closing off the property. When he stopped to look at it, he recognized the building as the one he and Unit 01 had leaned up against after being impaled. He frowned and turned away from the ruined structure and continued his walk to school.

When he eventually reached the school, Shinji took out his headphones and made his way into the nearby office. He asked the receptionist inside for directions to his class, and she responded by telling him to go to the 2nd floor and to go to classroom 2A. Shinji thanked the woman and left the office. As he made his way to the classroom, Shinji realized that class must've almost started, since there were very few students in the halls and they all seemed to be rushing off to their own classes.

He made his way upstairs and walked down the hall to room 2A. The door was slightly open, so Shinji opened the door and walked inside. Most of the chattering students fell silent at his appearance, and the teacher looked up from his desk at the new student. The teacher shifted his glasses on his face as he focused on Shinji before getting up to welcome him.

"You must be the new student." said the old man as he stood next to Shinji. "You're rather lucky; you were almost late for class. Not a very good first impression to give your teacher young man." He smiled and reached for a piece of chalk and handed it to Shinji before walking back to his desk. "Why don't you introduce yourself to the rest of us? Tell us a little about yourself."

Shinji gripped the chalk in his hand and walked over to the blackboard. He wrote his name in neat cursive letters before beginning his introduction.

"My name is Shinji Ikari. I'm new to Tokyo-3, and I hope for us to be good friends. I moved her from the country, and I live with my guardian Ms. Misato Katsuragi. Some things I like to do are play the cello and study German in my spare time."

He was briefly interrupted by the teacher. "That's rather fascinating Mr. Ikari. Care to give us a short demonstration?"

Shinji looked at the man and nodded. With a look of confidence, he looked straight ahead at his audience and spoke in a clear voice. "_Der erste Eindruck zählt. Ich hoffe, ich habe einen guten, und ich hoffe, wir können gute Freunde sein._" He turned around again and wrote his translation on the board. "The first impression counts. I hope I've made a good one, and I hope we can be good friends."

"That was very impressive Mr. Ikari." The old man turned to the class. "Are there any questions for Mr. Ikari before he takes his seat?" he asked.

A brown haired girl sitting the front quickly raised her hand with an eager look on her face. "Miss Suzuki?" he addressed her.

She lowered her hand. "Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked eagerly, no trace of hesitation in her voice.

A nervous smile appeared Shinji's face as a small blush filled his cheeks. "N-no, not at the moment. I'm currently single." He said with a small quiver in his voice. The girl smiled at him, and several others began to whisper to each other.

"Alright that's enough. Miss Horaki, please show Mr. Ikari to his seat." said the teacher as he stood up and erased the board. A brown haired, brown eyed girl sitting in the front seat stood up and walked over to Shinji. "Please follow me Mr. Ikari." she said as she smiled at him. Shinji just nodded and followed her to his desk. As he walked, he felt the eyes of most of the female students following him, and the various glares from the males boring into him. After he was seated, Hikari walked back to the front of the room as the bell rang.

"STAND! BOW! SIT!" she bellowed to the class. The students complied and the teacher began his lecture about the origins of second impact.

It only took Shinji a few minutes to realize that everything the teacher was saying was completely different than what he had been told by his father, every bit of information being completely incorrect. Not interested in listening to made up stories, Shinji started to look around the room. Besides the occasional glance shot his way by a girl, Shinji found himself looking towards the window. He froze at what he saw.

Rei Ayanami was resting her head in her hand, staring out the window, paying absolutely no attention to the room she was in or the teacher's lecture. Shinji continued to gaze at her for a few more minutes before a quiet beep caught his attention. He snapped out of his gaze and looked down at his desk at the laptop that had been sitting on it. He saw that an instant message window had popped up, asking him if he would like to open it. With a look of curiosity, Shinji clicked yes and read the message. It read, "Did you hear about the giant robot the other day?" Shinji quickly looked up and looked at his surroundings, hoping to spot the one who sent him the message. After failing to find the culprit, he looked back at the screen and typed his response. "Yes." was all he wrote.

After a minute of waiting, Shinji received another message. "They say the one who drove that thing moved to Tokyo-3 recently. Was it you?" Shinji became suspicious and once again tried to spot the person who was talking to him. He noticed that a girl with one of her friends was looking away from the teacher directly at him, both smiling at him. Shinji slowly looked back at his screen and tentatively typed his response. "Yes."

Suddenly, almost every student rushed over to him and began to ask him questions about piloting Eva. Apparently the girls had talked to everyone in the class about him before talking to him, and everyone had been interesting in finding out if he had been the one to pilot the Eva. "What was it like?" "Was it scary?" "How does it work?" "Did you get hurt?" Shinji kept stammering out half-baked answers to the questions, flustered at the sudden overwhelming attention that was being showered on him. The teacher quickly realized that no one had been paying attention to his lecture and shouted at the students. "ENOUGH! Class is in session! Get back to your seats!"

The students groaned and made their way back to their desks. Shinji sighed in relief before looking back at Rei. He saw that she had not moved at all, sitting in the exact same position he had seen her in before. He was mystified at her strange behavior as he looked away from her and down at his desk. Ten minutes later the bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch. All of the students stood up and made their way out of the room. Shinji followed them, pulling the bento out of his box as he made his way towards the classroom door. As he left, one of the male students watched him leave with a look of anger and loathing on his face.

Shinji made his way to the roof and ate his lunch there. As he ate, he stared out at the city as he listened to his SDAT player. When he finished, he laid down on his back, staring up at the clouds as he waited for class to resume. He closed his eyes as the wind gently blew around him, bathing in the sunlight shining down on the roof. After a little while, Shinji sensed a shadow loom over and he opened his eyes. He let out a short yelp as he was hoisted from the floor by his shirt and looked at his attacker. It was a tall, black haired boy with black eyes, wearing a track outfit, his face sporting a look of anger. Behind him was another boy with brown hair, wearing glasses with freckles on his face.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Shinji asked calmly.

The boy holding him scowled. "Touji Suzuhara. You the pilot of that robot?" he asked.

"Yeah. What of it?" Shinji grunted.

Suddenly, the boy punched him hard in the face. Shinji crashed to the ground violently. He slowly stood up, his nose bleeding as he looked back at the boy. He wiped the blood from his nose. "I assume you have a reason for attacking the new kid." he said in an unusually menacing voice.

"Hmmph. Yeah, there is. Remember that building you crashed into? Well, because of you and your damn robot, my little sister was hurt. You put her in the hospital, you bastard." he growled.

Shinji's face didn't change as he listened to Touji. "I see. I'm sorry for that. But you must understand that it was not my fault."

"Not your fault! Don't give me that crap! You and your damn robot crushed Sakura! I'm just giving you what you deserve."

Shinji frowned. "I didn't mean for that to happen to Sakura. But there was nothing I could do to help it.

"Bullshit! It was your damn stupidity that made you destroy that building. You completely failed to protect her! It was all your fault you son of a bitch!"

"SHUT UP! You don't understand a goddamn thing!" Shinji shouted. He began to shake in anger. "When I destroyed that building, I had been stabbed in the chest! I almost died that day! I was completely new to piloting that thing! I had no training! No preparation! I did my best damn it! Do you think you could have done any better?!"

Touji roared and charged at Shinji. He threw a strong punch aimed at Shinji's face, but Shinji quickly raised his hand and caught Touji's fist, completely surprising the boy. He was shocked as he struggled to overpower Shinji, but found that his hand was slowly being forcibly lowered by the new kid, his fist being gripped surprisingly tightly, causing pain to flow from his hand.

"And you know what else? If it weren't for me, you, your sister, and everyone else here would be dead now. Did you think of that ever?" Shinji said quietly with anger in his tone.

Touji screamed and tried to punch Shinji with his other hand, but that one was caught as well. He was now trapped, both of his hands now useless against the Eva pilot.

"Why do you think I got in that thing to begin with? Why would I risk my own life if there was no reason in it for me? Do you believe that I did it for money, for fame or glory? That I didn't care what happened to others?"

"Of course! If there was another reason, then you would have tried harder to save my sister! You only care about yourself, you selfish prick." Touji spat at him in anger.

Shinji angrily swept his foot underneath Touji and swept him off his feet. He quickly let go of his hands, and angrily used Touji's momentum to slam him hard onto the ground. Touji grunted in pain on impact and looked up at Shinji with fury in his eyes. He slowly stood up and held his side in pain.

"Don't ever accuse me of being selfish." Shinji growled. "I chose to pilot! I chose to put my life on the line to protect those I care about! The pain I felt was indescrible, yet I chose to pilot to protect everyone! You have no right to call me selfish!"

Touji charged at Shinji again and swung his arm at him. Shinji quickly blocked his arm and punched Touji in the stomach with his other arm. Touji gasped in pain and clutched his stomach, collapsing to the floor as he gasped for air.

"I'll get you for this Ikari." he gasped out.

Shinji looked at him before turning away from him. He started to walk away, but stopped when he reached Kensuke. "Please tell him that I'm sorry for hurting him, and about his sister."

Kensuke nodded. "Yeah. And listen. He's normally not like this. He just cares a lot for his sister. Give him time to cool down. He's not that bad of a guy." He looked at Touji's slumped form, and then looked back at Shinji. "I personally think it's really cool what you do in that machine, and that it's really great that you saved us." He reached his hand out to Shinji. "Friends?"

Shinji looked at Kensuke and smiled, accepting his handshake. "Friends." He glanced at Touji. "When he cools down, tell him that we're even now for me." Shinji opened the door and started to walk back to class.

"No problem." said Kensuke as he left.

As Shinji walked back to class, he thought about what Touji had said to him. "His sister was hospitalized because of me." Shinji thought back to when he had been slammed against that building, the phantom pain he had felt then coursing through his mind. "I should visit her someday. It's the least I can do."

He kept walking back to class, thinking about his fight with Touji. However when he turned the corner, he froze in surprise. Staring back at him were the red eyes of Rei Ayanami.

"Oh Rei, it's you. You startled me." he sighed in relief.

"Pilot Ikari, you should be more cautious while you are off duty. It is dangerous for you to be harmed." She said emotionlessly.

"Shinji sighed. "You may be right Rei." he looked at her ad smiled. "Hey, would you mind if I talked to you for a while? I feel like I didn't get to know you very well when we first met, and I would like to be friends with you."

Rei continued to stare at him. "No. Now is not the time, Pilot Ikari."

Shinji frowned. "Are you sure Rei?"

"I did not seek you out to talk to you." She walked past him. "Come, follow me. A state of emergency has been declared, and all NERV personnel have been summoned for duty."

"Wait! Are you serious Rei?" Shinji asked in shock. "What do you mean a state of emergency?"

Rei turned and looked at him. "An angel has appeared. And we are too destroy it." was her simple reply.

Shinji gasped. "Another angel? Already?" as if to answer his question, the cell phone in his pocket rang. Shinji pulled it out and saw that it was Misato calling him. He answered the phone.

"Shinji, where are you?" she yelled through the phone.

"I'm still at school. Rei's here with me." he replied.

"Shinji, an angel was recently spotted approaching Tokyo-3. You and Rei are to report to NERV ASAP! Section 2 agents have already been dispatched to retrieve the both of you. You are ordered to leave with them immediately. You will report to me when you arrive at NERV for your mission briefing. Do you understand Shinji?"

Shinji took a second to take a deep breath. "Yeah, I understand. I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the phone. He noticed that Rei had already left, and he ran down the stairs towards the school entrance. He found Rei in the parking lot as a section 2 car screeched to a stop in front of them. A large man stepped out and ushered the two pilots inside, slammed the door shut and sped off towards NERV headquarters. As they drove, they could feel the ground quake and tremble at the approaching angel, as feelings of anxiety, dread, and a little excitement began to grow in Shinji.

**To Be Continued**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As he sat in the back seat, Shinji kept shooting occasional glances at Rei, who was sitting in the seat next to him, staring out the window much like she had been doing a t school earlier. The section 2 agents were both sitting in the front, a small glass partition separating them from the children. One appeared to be speaking into an earpiece, but the glass prevented Shinji from hearing him.

Shinji laid back in his seat and looked over at Rei. She was looking out the window in a very similar way as to how she was doing so earlier in school. Shinji sighed and pulled out his SDAT and placed the headphones in his ears. As he listened to the music, his thoughts began to roam around the blue haired girl next to him.

"She is definitely a strange girl. Why does she refuse to speak to me or anyone else for that matter? I don't think I saw her look away from that window even once today. She's definitely going to be difficult getting along with." Shinji turned away from Rei and looked out his window at the city as it passed by. He couldn't see the attacking angel, but he could still feel the tremors it was causing every now and then.

The section two agents driving the pilots were currently on their cell phones reporting to NERV HQ their current ETA. "We are currently en route to HQ and we should arrive with the pilots in roughly ten minutes."

The entrance tunnel could be seen in the distance. "We have visual of HQ." said one of the agents into his phone. The car continued to move towards the tunnel.

Suddenly a large shadow began to descend in front of the car. Just before the car made it into the tunnel, a military tank crashed into the ground, shaking the area around it. The driver of the car panicked and attempted to swerve out of the way. In the back seat, the two pilots clutched their seats as the car lurched. As the car turned, the driver lost control and the car's momentum caused it to flip over violently, tossing the passengers inside all around. The driver's cell phone managed to stay connected to the other end of the call, and Misato's voice kept shouting questions as to what happened as the driver and his partner blacked out in their seats.

**NERV Headquarters**

"Hey! What's happening? Answer me! Are the pilots safe? Answer me now, or you're really going to piss me off, and trust me, you don't want to see that!" shouted Misato angrily into her phone. She received no answer from the other end, which caused her to scream in frustration.

"What the hell is going on?! An angel attacks, and they choose now to act like complete, incompetent idiots! Does anyone have a visual of the pilots on our video network?" she asked the bridge bunnies as she continued to wait for a response.

"We're starting a search for them Captain." Maya replied to the angry woman. The technicians shuffled through every video feed in the entire NERV network, desperate to find the two children. After a while, a video feed displayed the overturned vehicle. Misato gasped and quickly raised her phone to her ear. "Hello! Somebody answer! Rei! Shinji! Answer me Shinji!" she shouted in desperation.

**Tokyo-3**

Inside the car, Shinji slowly began to regain consciousness from the accident. His vision blurred as he felt his head throb in pain. He took in his surroundings. The car appeared overturned to him, and he couldn't see either of the agents sitting in the front. He looked to his right, and to his horror he spotted the unconscious and bleeding form of Rei. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared to have suffered injury to her right and leg. Shinji quickly reached for the unconscious girl and shook her in an attempt to rouse her from unconsciousness.

"Rei! Are you alright? Can you hear me?" he asked with fear in his voice. Rei did not move, which only increased the fear inside him. Shinji quickly turned around and tried to open the door with the handle. After a few seconds of struggling, the handle would not move. Shinji desperately kicked at the window as hard as he could to try to break it, but it was no use. The reinforced glass of the section 2 vehicle would not break.

"How the hell are we going to get out of here." he murmured to himself. He took a quick glance at Rei, and then started to look around for something to break the window with. When he moved to look in the front seat, he spotted a gun that belonged to one of the unconscious agents in its holster. Shinji quickly pulled his foot back and kicked at the glass partition. The weaker glass shattered from the force of the kick, ripping his pant leg in the process. Shinji reached out for the agent's gun, and when he grabbed it, he aimed it at the back seat window. He fired the gun and the bullet impacted with the glass. The glass did not break but did crack slightly from the force. He fired a second shot, resulting in another small fracture to form. He pulled his foot back, and with as much strength he could summon, he kicked the weakened glass. The window shattered, creating a hole big enough for him to crawl out of.

Shinji turned around and grabbed Rei by her arms. He pulled and carefully moved her out of the car through the broken window, careful not to injure her further on the broken glass. When both children were out of the car, Shinji set Rei down gently and looked around. He spotted the NERV entrance tunnel, only a few yards from him. He felt another tremor in the ground before he heard a faint sound. He listened closely, and followed the sound into the car. He looked in the front seat and saw the opened cell phone belonging to one of the agents.

""Hello! Somebody answer! Rei! Shinji! Answer me Shinji!" could be heard coming from the phone. Shinji recognized the voice as Misato's and grabbed the phone. "Misato! It's Shinji!" he shouted back at the Captain.

"Shinji, thank god you're alright! What happened to you?" she asked.

"A tank came out of nowhere into our car and the driver lost control! Rei is unconscious, and I don't know about the two agents! We're really close to the entrance and I can probably carry Rei towards it, but it'll take a while!"

"Take Rei with you Shinji and I'll send another escort to pick you both up!" she replied.

Shinji momentarily lowered the phone and looked at the two agents. "What about these two? They may but hurt or killed out here." he asked Misato.

"There's nothing you can do for them Shinji. They'll only slow down your arrival, and we need you here as soon as possible, and your main priority at the moment is Rei." Misato answered him.

Shinji frowned. "You want me to just leave them here to die?" he asked with disgust forming in his tone.

"I'm sorry Shinji, but we need the two of you here now. We can't have anything delay your arrival." she said.

Shinji looked at the two men again. "Fine. I'll bring in Rei." he said with a monotone.

"I know you don't like it Shinji, but those men knew what they had signed up for. If it makes you feel any better, we'll send out a rescue team to search for them if possible if a victory is achieved."

Shinji face turned to one of angry determination. "There'll definitely be a victory. I can promise that." He growled before throwing the phone to the ground. He turned to Rei's unconscious form. He bent over and picked her up with relative ease. He felt her blood trickle onto her hand as he ran towards the entrance tunnel, taking one last sad glance back at the car, silently uttering an apology to the two men inside the wreckage.

**20 minutes later**

The escort team had arrived and took the two pilots towards the Eva cages. Rei was quickly taken to the medical ward and Shinji was lead towards the locker room by Misato and Ritsuko.

"We have finished the development of your plug suit and neural interface clips." said Ritsuko. "These will greatly improve your synchronization with the Eva and will allow us to monitor your physical and mental state more accurately during piloting." She handed the plug suit to the young pilot before leaving towards the Eva holding bay. Misato stayed behind.

"You feeling alright?" asked Misato worriedly.

"I don't like abandoning people in need. I'll be fine once this angel is dead." said Shinji in a low voice. He turned away from the Captain and walked into the locker room.

**Tokyo-3**

In a NERV shelter, Tokyo-3's middle school was currently huddled away from the city due to the current state of emergency. Among the student's laid Touji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida, who were both sitting down and looking at the TV that hung on the wall, which displayed on emergency message.

"This is so unfair. There's a historic battle taking place, and we're forced to sit underground and be fed obvious propaganda about how the military will save us all." moaned Kensuke.

"You're such an otaku. When will you stop obsessing over guns and start focusing on girls? Besides, we all know the real truth. That Ikari kid is piloting that thing and probably killing more children as we speak. What a hero we have on our hands." said Touji with sarcasm.

"It's really not fair for you to blame him you know. You can't blame him for what happened. It could be worse. Your sister, along with the rest of us could be dead instead of just recovering in a hospital." said Kensuke.

"Why are you defending that loser?" asked Touji.

"Because he seemed to be an alright guy." Kensuke giggled. "Besides, he sure kicked your ass and put you in your place. That makes him an alright person in my book."

"Why you little…" said Touji as he raised his fist at his friend's face.

"Whoa, calm down there big guy." Kensuke said with a small twinge of fear as he leaned away from the fist. Touji listened and went back to staring at the TV.

"You have to admit though, it can't be easy to risk your life in a battle like that at that age." said Kensuke.

"Just stop talking about it." said Touji.

Kensuke sighed and went back to watching the TV. Suddenly a smile crossed his face and he turned to whisper at Touji. "We should sneak out of here and get a look at the fight."

Touji sat up with surprise. "Are you nuts?" he whispered. "We'd get into so much trouble."

"No we won't. Not if we don't get caught." Kensuke whispered back. "Let's talk about this somewhere else. Can you get us out of here?"

Touji sighed. "Fine." He stood up and walked over to where the class rep Hikari was sitting. "Hey class rep." he said.

Hikari turned and looked at him and smiled. "What is it Suzuhara."

"We gotta take a leak. Can we go?" he asked in a bored voice.

"Really? You couldn't go earlier." asked Hikari, clearly annoyed. Touji just shrugged. "Fine. But make it quick." said Hikari.

Touji walked away towards the bathroom with Kensuke following him. "Very nice choice of words." said Kensuke. Touji just punched him lightly in the arm.

**NERV Headquarters**

Inside the locker room, Shinji finished putting on his plug suit. He pushed the button on his wrist and the suit's vacuum seal activated, causing the material to tightly conform to his body. Shinji gasped. "Jeez, this thing is tight." he commented. He put on the neural clips and exited the locker room. He made his way to the Eva holding bay and was greeted by Misato.

"I must say Shinji that suit looks pretty good on you." said Misato.

"Very funny." He replied. "Dr. Akagi, is there anything you can tell me about the angel?" he asked.

Ritsuko stood up from her chair. "The angel is similar to the previous one. We have found out that it's AT field is approximately the same strength. Its main form of attack is two energy whips, which are capable of cutting straight through most material. We do however have an advantage this time." She said.

"And what would that advantage be?" asked Shinji.

"We have finished developing a new weapon for use with the Eva. We call it the progressive knife, or prog knife for short. It's a vibrating blade that's capable of cutting straight through the Angel's AT field and will easily pierce the target's core."

"So I get in close and stab the thing to death." said Shinji.

"Exactly." replied Misato.

"As always, be cautious with your umbilical cable. With the angel's energy whips, it'll be even easier to cut through than the previous angel. Finish it off as quickly as possible." said Ritsuko.

Shinji nodded before climbing into the entry plug. The door closed behind him and the startup process began.

**Tokyo-3**

Kensuke opened the door and both boys exited the shelter. "I told you we'd make it out." He said to Touji.

"Okay, so we're out. Now what?" Touji asked.

"Now we wait." answered Kensuke as he put his camera to his eye. A large tremor shook the ground and caused both boys to lose their footing. After they recovered, they looked out towards the city and saw a large figure loom over the horizon.

"What is that thing." Asked Touji in awe.

"That must be what we're fighting." said Kensuke as he hit the record button on his camera.

The boys watched for several minutes as the angel made its way through the city. After a while, they gasped in amazement as Unit 01 rose from the ground and quickly stood to face the angel. "And here comes Ikari." said Kensuke. "Looks like we get front row seats to this show eh?" he said.

Touji said nothing as his mouth hung open, his eyes fixated on Unit 01's giant form.

**Inside Unit 01**

Shinji stared back at the angel as it slowly glided across the ground. He willed the Eva to activate the holster of the prog knife on its shoulder to open. He reached up and grabbed the knife.

"Are you sure you're ready Shinji?" asked Misato.

Shinji smiled and activated the knife. The blade began to vibrate at a high speed and glowed a dim orange color. "More than ready." He growled before moving the knife in front of him, taking an offensive stance, readying himself for the battle ahead.

**To Be Continued**

**Author Note: I would like to apologize for the delay in this chapter. This chapter went through many different revisions, and life just kept getting in the way. I promise I will try harder to get future chapters out in a more timely manner.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Shinji held the knife in front of him, waiting for the angel to make the first move. He watched the tentacles in the abdomen of the creature writhe around, protecting the core embedded behind them. The angel's energy whips glow a bright purple as it slowly glides towards him. Shinji tensed when the angel stopped its movement, gripping the knife tightly in his hand. Suddenly, the angel slashed at Shinji, the speed of the attack almost too fast to register in his mind. Shinji grunts and leaps backwards to dodge the whip, which narrowly misses its target, slicing numerous buildings around it into pieces.

Recovering quickly, Shinji dashes towards the angel. The angel attempts to slice Unit 01's head off, but Shinji ducks underneath it as he continues his charge. Unit 01 leaps over a low sweep from the angel and sidesteps a jab from the other tentacle.

"His dodging is amazing." Says Kensuke softly as he films the battle on his camera. Touji observed the fight beside him, his mouth slightly open in awe of the spectacle.

Shinji screams and thrusts the knife forward, piercing the AT field and sinking through to the hilt. He quickly pulled the knife downward, causing a large slice to appear along the AT field before it shattered and disappeared. The angel reacted by reaching for the knife with its whip, wrapping around the hilt. Shinji could only watch as the whip ripped the weapon out of his hand and fling it far away from the area.

"Damn it. That was his only method of attack." said Kensuke. "I wonder what…" Kensuke was cut off as Touji roughly grabbed him by his shirt collar and quickly dragged him along as he ran. A large shadow casted over where they were previously standing before a large impact occurred, shaking the ground and throwing the two boys to the ground. Kensuke eyes widened as he watched the huge knife sink into the ground, cracks spreading away from the point of impact. Kensuke breathed deeply after having been roughly choked by his friend.

"A little warning would have been appreciated!" Kensuke shouted at Touji in a raspy voice as he massaged his sore neck.

"You were busy geeking out over the robot!"

"I wasn't geeking, I was filming!" said Kensuke as he raised his camera and continued filming.

**NERV Headquarters**

"Send the pilot munitions immediately. Do not allow him to fight in unarmed combat." ordered Gendo calmly, his hands laced together in front of his face.

Ritsuko turned to the Commander. "Sir, he still hasn't received firearm training. Use of firearms would be impractical and ineffective." she explained.

Gendo's face became one of anger. "Then give him a crash course!" he shouted angrily at her.

Ritsuko froze in shock at his outburst, but quickly regained her composure. "Yes sir." She replied.

**Tokyo 3**

"Shinji, we're sending you firearms. They'll arrive momentarily, but you'll have to get the angel away from you for a few moments." said Misato through the communication link.

"But I don't know how to use guns in this thing!" he shouted in reply.

"You'll have to make it up as you go along. Armed combat is the best chance you've got right now." Ritsuko interjected.

Shinji quickly ducked an incoming jab from the angel and grabbed the whip before it could pull it back. Shinji screamed in pain as the whip burned the Eva and he felt the pain through his synchronization. He continued to grip the whip and with great effort, he pulled the angel towards him. The angel's body crashed into Unit 01. Shinji forcefully punched the angel in the abdomen, causing the angel's body to slump forward. Shinji followed up the punch by raising Unit 01's other arm above the angel before bringing down Unit 01's elbow hard on the back of the angel. He let go of the whip and grabbed the head of the stunned angel. He pulled back Unit 01's right leg and kicked the angel in the abdomen as hard as he could, sending the angel sailing down the city street, tearing up the concrete underneath it.

Shinji panted and looked at the hand that had grabbed the whip. He was shocked at what he saw. A pale white hand shimmered and appeared to be sizzling as the sunlight hit it.

"What the hell?" Shinji murmured.

"Shinji, the gun is coming! Grab it quick!" shouted Misato.

Beside Unit 01, a large building sprouted from the ground and grew to match the height of the Eva. The metal plating in the front folded down and revealed a large Gatling gun. Shinji grabbed the weapon and pointed it at the angel, which was beginning to rise from its stunned state.

"Use the onboard computer to aim at the angel. The computer will lock onto the target, and when it does, pull the trigger." explained Ritsuko.

Shinji watched the angel through the Eva's eyes as the targeting program began to fill his vision. He watched as a reticule began to flutter across the screen, making its way towards the angel. After a few seconds, the reticule locked onto the angel and gave a loud beep.

"Fire!" ordered Misato.

Shinji pulled the trigger and unleashed a hail of bullets on the angel. The projectiles flew at the angel, each one exploding on impact. The shell casings fell out of the gun towards the ground, creating large cracks in the pavement as the huge objects forcefully collided with the ground. Shinji continued to fire as a large black cloud of smoke began to surround the angel.

"Careful! You're gonna lose sight of the target!" Misato shouted at Shinji.

Shinji stopped firing and lowered the weapon. He remained on guard as he stared at the smoke. Suddenly, a whip shot out of the cloud straight at him. Shinji reflexively ducked. The whip missed the Eva, but sliced through the gun in its hands, cutting it in two.

"What is he doing?" said Touji

"Maybe that punch you gave him messed him up more than we thought." Kensuke replied as he zoomed in the camera to get a better view of Unit 01.

"Shut up! I didn't even hit him that hard!" shouted Touji defensively.

Kensuke smiled. "Yeah you're right. He hit you way harder. How's your back doing, by the way?" he asked without turning around.

Touji said nothing and growled quietly as he fixed his attention back on the fight.

Shinji leapt backwards as a whip slashed at him through the smoke. The angel emerged from the smoke and glided toward Unit 01. The angel slashed at Unit 01, but the Eva ducked underneath it. The angel attacked with its other whip and this time, Shinji was not ready to dodge it. With a downward diagonal slash, the whip sliced across Unit 01's chest, leaving a deep, smoking cut along the armor, blood leaking out of the wound. Shinji gasped in pain and grasped his chest as he felt the sting of the whip.

The angel attacked again and Shinji clumsily dodged it. Unfortunately, he was not agile enough and the whip cut through Unit 01's umbilical cable, causing the remaining power display to begin the countdown to Unit 01's shutdown.

"Umbilical cable has been severed! Five minutes until shutdown!" shouted Maya.

"Pull it together Shinji! We're sending a rifle up for you!" said Misato.

Shinji slowly backed away from the angel. Suddenly another building containing the rifle arrived, opening up for him. Shinji grabbed the rifle and aimed it at the angel. He fired at the angel and continued to place distance between him and the angel.

The angel stopped its advance as it was bombarded by bullets. The angel slashed a building next to it and wrapped the whip around the top half of the severed building. The angel separated the building from its foundation and hurled it at Shinji.

Shinji ceased fire and ran out of the flying debris' flight path. The building crashed to the ground and cracked the road, forming a large pot hole. The angel repeated it's attacked and hurled another building at Shinji.

"Three minutes of power remain! Synch ratio at a solid 80%, but it's beginning to dwindle with the loss of power!" shouted Makoto.

"Shinji, you need to hurry up and finish it quickly!" said Misato.

"I know, I'm trying! This one's quicker than the last!" Shinji replied. He began to take in his environment in an attempt to come up with an attack plan. He looked to his right and spotted a thick antenna on top of a building next to him. He looked to his left and spotted a gas tanker truck down the city street. Remembering the angel's strategy from earlier, an idea formed in his head. He reached for the antenna and snapped it from the building, leaving the end a sharp tip. He looked at the angel before quickly running down the street to pick up the gas truck.

Shinji ran around the angel and dropped the antenna. Before the angel could turn to look at him, Shinji threw the truck at the angel. The angel turned to cut the incoming object, but before it could, Shinji raised his rifle and fired. His aim was true, and the bullet hit the truck dead on, causing a fiery explosion to go off point blank at the angel, a thick plume of smoke obscuring its view of Unit 01.

"And just like that gas prices go up another five yen." sighed Touji.

"Yeah, but that move was pretty sweet. Now he can catch it by surprise." said Kensuke.

Shinji picked up the antenna and charged at the angel. "Now I've got you!" growled Shinji.

Through the smoke, the angel blindly thrust one of its whips at Unit 01, which Shinji easily dodged. As he got closer to his target, Shinji raised the antenna to the angel's abdomen, but was not prepared for the angel's next attack.

He felt the angel wrap its other whip around Unit 01's ankle, and before he could react, the angel tugged the whip and tripped Unit 01 onto its back. Shinji felt the wind get knocked out of him as the Eva's force of impact made him feel the collision. The angel maintained its hold on Unit 01's ankle and pulled the Eva towards it. With an amazing show of strength, the angel pulled Unit 01 into the air and hurled it into the air, the Eva flying towards the mountains outside the city.

"Oh my god! It's coming right for us!" screamed Kensuke as he lowered his camera.

"Run!" yelled Touji. Both boys screamed as they ran for their lives, the shadow of Unit 01 looming over them, getting closer and closer. Suddenly, Unit 01 crashed into the mountainside sending the two boys flying off their feet and face first into the dirt.

"Time remaining till complete unit failure is two minutes!" reported Maya.

"Damn it. I was so close." grunted Shinji, punching the control sticks in anger.

Suddenly, Shinji looked down and gasped in shock. Looking up at him between Unit 01's fingers were his two classmates, Touji and Kensuke. Their expressions were ones of utter terror. Shinji looked back towards the city and saw that the angel was gliding towards him at a fast pace.

"Misato, I've got a problem out here! What should I do?" asked Shinji.

Inside NERV, the pictures of Touji and Kensuke popped up on screen.

"Shinji's classmates?" said Misato.

"What are they doing out there?" asked Ritsuko.

"Eject the plug immediately and let them inside Shinji." Gendo ordered sternly over the link.

Shinji felt the plug slide out of the Eva and watched the door open. Outside, Kensuke and Touji watched as the plug protruded from the Eva, a ladder descending to the ground.

"You two, get in NOW!" boomed Gendo's voice from a speaker on the Eva. The boys quickly stood up and ran for the ladder and climbed up it. When they reached the door, they jumped into the darkened plug, making the LCL splash.

"What the hell? There's water in here?!" shouted Touji as he held his breath out of reflex.

"Ah, my camera!" shouted Kensuke with fear as he jumped in.

The door closed and the plug returned to the Eva and light returned to the plug. Touji and Kensuke screamed and Shinji gasped as they were greeted with a view of the angel almost directly on top of them. The angel thrust both of its whips at the Eva, but Shinji threw Unit 01's hands out and caught both of them.

Shinji screamed in pain and the two boys watched in horror as the LCL bubbled around him and his hands began to glow a dull orange. With a monumental effort, Shinji pulled both of the whips back, and then flung them forward, throwing the angel off of him and down the mountain.

"Good. It's best that you retreat now Shinji! Use escape route 25 near your area before it comes back!" ordered Misato. However, Shinji dismissed this order and looked to the left of Unit 01 and spotted his knife. He walked over to it and pulled it out of the ground, a large chunk of earth stuck on it. Shinji calmly pulled the dirt off the knife and faced the angel.

"Shinji! You were ordered to retreat! Get out now!" shouted Gendo angrily.

"Hey Ikari! I think you should listen!" said Touji nervously.

Shinji pointed the knife at the angel. "No. I'm killing this thing now." he said in a low voice.

"What?!" yelled Kensuke.

"Shinji, get out of there NOW!" shouted Gendo.

Shinji screamed and charged at the angel. Misato scowled at the monitor as she watched him. "That stupid brat." She muttered.

Touji and Kensuke gripped the pilot's chair and screamed in terror as the plugged lurched about with the Eva's movement. Shinji continued to cry out as he approached the angel. Suddenly, the angel thrust out its whips, something Shinji was not ready for. Both whips impaled the Eva in its abdomen, stopping it dead in its tracks.

Shinji grunted in pain. With a great deal of effort, he pushed against the whips impaling him, forcing the Eva to slowly get closer to his target.

"Power remaining, thirty seconds!" shouted Maya. Maya continued to count down from thirty as Shinji reached the angel. He let out an even louder scream as he thrust the knife upward, impaling the core and sending sparks flying from the metal. Both the angel and the Eva pushed their weapons of choice as hard as they could into their enemy, waiting to see who would break first.

"Ten, nine, eight…" counted Maya. The cracks in the angel's core expanded. Holes where the whips impaled the Eva began to glow in Shinji's plug suit. Kensuke and Touji watched in awe and fear at sight of what their classmate was going through.

"Seven, six, five, four…" said Maya. The cracks spread even more, the knife sank deeper into the core, and the pain in Shinji's abdomen grew, the holes glowing brighter.

"Three, two, one!" shouted Maya. As the countdown reached one, the core dissolved and exploded from the body of the angel. The angel slumped forward and light of the whips faded to nothing. The clock hit zero and the lights of the plug went out, leaving the three boys submerged in darkness as the plug went into life support mode.

The body of the angel dissolved into a mass of red liquid that strongly resembled blood, leaving behind nothing but the whips impaled within the body of Unit 01. An angry yet relieved Misato turned to the bridge crew. "Send a recovery team to retrieve the pilot and civilians immediately and bring them into custody."

Inside the plug, Shinji began to breathe deeply in relieve as the pain began to slowly subside. Behind him, Touji watched him as Shinji began to hold his stomach and massage the sore areas. He reached out and pat Shinji tentatively on the back.

"Hey, I just want to say thanks. For saving us and going through that hell and all." Touji rambled nervously.

"Yeah. You did good today Ik… Shinji." added Kensuke.

Shinji turned around and looked at the two. They both smiled at him. Shinji smiled back at them. "So… Am I forgiven? For your sister I mean?" asked Shinji.

Touji chuckled. "Yeah, I think so." he answered. Shinji sighed in relief and sat back in his chair.

"That means a lot to me Touji." He reached his hand out. "Friends?"

Touji chuckled and grasped Shinji's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Friends." he repeated.

Shinji felt happy at their reconciliation, glad that he would be in good company before the admonition that was waiting for him.

**To Be Continued**


End file.
